Greg Luther’s horse, Fire The Dems, driven by Austin Hanners, won in a landslide for two-year-old pacers in Thursday’s action at the Darke County Fair. (Press Pros Feature Photos)
Good horses, good purses, and a good crowd turned out Thursday night for racing at the Great Darke County Fair.
Greenville, OH – Greg Luther is a bit outspoken in his admiration, appreciation, and respect for the tradition of what’s long ago become known as The Great Darke County Fair.
And one of those traditions with Ohio’s oldest fair, dating back to 1853 (172 years) is its roots in standardbred horse racing, and the countless people that have lent their name to the saga of horses and racing in Darke County.
The master, of course, was the great Gene Riegle. In more contemporary times, names like Jeff Nisonger and Ronnie Gillespie have claimed their start as trainers and racing fixtures from humble beginnings at the Darke County Fair track. And that tradition lives on as new names and new blood annually get their start in Greenville.
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Maybe none more than Greg Luther, a visionary, whose grandfather, John Robinson, started him out right by mucking stalls in the horse barns long before Luther found success in central Ohio dealing real estate. Whether real estate begat horses, or horses begat real estate, he claims his start as beginning on the back acres of the fairgrounds in Greenville.
And Luther, whose profile has become as much about horses, as houses, is not shy about detailing how horses and harness racing have played a part in not only making the Greenville fair great, but keeping it great…now for 172 years, and counting. Thursday night, while cheese curds and funnel cakes were the attraction on the midway, more than 500 people graced the grandstand for a 15-race card of some of the best ‘fair’ horses in Ohio.
His commitment is unquestioned, and hard not to notice. His name graces the side of one of the barns that he helped renovate two years ago.
“I tell all my help that if some family is coming through with a stroller, stop what they’re doing, grab a horse’s head and let kids pet and have the experience of getting to know the horses.” – Greg Luther
“It’s been tough days for harness racing,” he says. “The funding has been tough for the county fairs. And thankfully those who have done well have done their part by giving back to harness racing and helping those who are stabled here. My grandfather (John Robinson) was the caretaker here for the entire fairgrounds, and we had a few harness horses back then. But once I grew up and had success in real estate I was able to own horses, rather than clean up after them. We started buying more horses, we’ve done well with them, and to me Ohio is unique because these county fairs are really special to us.”
None more special than the Greenville fair – The Great Darke County Fair – it’s proudly marketed on roadsides across the area as a constant reminder of the third week of August and where the county’s attention, regardless of your interest, is focused. And long before the days of hall of famer Gene Riegle, horses and racing were a cornerstone of the fair tradition in Greenville.
“I used to hang out with Gene Riegle during the end of his career,” says Greenville native and horseman, Jeff Nisonger, who now lives and trains out of Lebanon, Ohio. “Gene would back his vehicle up to my barn at the fairgrounds and just watch. I’d get in and we’d talk racing. So I probably got a little different experience from getting to know him so well. Being in Darke County there’s always been a ton of trainers, and good trainers, and I was lucky to grow up and learn from the experience at the Darke County Fair.”
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While county fairs are special to people like Greg Luther, they’re not that special everywhere, lacking that one thing that people can experience, talk about, and anticipate from one year to the next. Luther, without reservation, gives credit, in Greenville, to racing.
“I’ve always been big on the promotion side,” adds Luther. “And one thing about the county fairs is that the innocent bystanders can come into the barns and see the horses, and we want them to. They can’t do that at the raceways [like Scioto Downs]. So I tell all my help that if some family is coming through with a stroller, stop what they’re doing, grab a horse’s head and let kids pet and have the experience of getting to know the horses. That really helps to promote the industry. And it is an industry, while people have no idea about how harness racing works. We can try and develop fans that way.”
Greenville’s Ronnie Gillespie drives two-year-old trotter Ready for Sunshine to a win in Thursday’s racing at Greenville.
And, they can develop fans through entertainment, and racing is entertainment, leading people like Luther to talk how to improve that entertainment, not unlike what baseball has done by improving the pace. Less down time, better purses, competition, and better value for your dollar. And, a lot of people working together.
Marketing-minded, like other drivers and trainers we’ve met, Luther is concerned for the lack of promotion for racing.
Faces at the fair…Gene Klaus (left) and Dave Gray enjoy the action during Thursday’s racing at the Darke County Fair.
“One of our issues is that racing is set up on gambling,” he confesses. “And our primary revenue should not be made through gambling. If you go to a Reds or Bengals game you pay $100 a seat, $12 for drinks, bought tickets in advance, and they’re not there for gambling.
“They’re there for entertainment. And racing should offer more of an entertainment opportunity. They want a high five from a player. Here we can offer an experience with the horses. It’s all about entertainment. Our sport has to be promoted that way, by creating relationships with the drivers, the horses, and the racing. We need to personalize the experience of racing, the entertainment aspect of racing. If we can do that it’ll make a big difference.
“Races need to be ten minutes apart, to keep the pace of the entertainment going. If you go to any racetrack by the third race you hear kids crying, the wife asking about how much longer are we going to be here…because three races is an hour and a half. They’ve changed the rules for baseball, and we need to fix it for racing. There’s easy fixes that can makes things work. It can’t stay the old-school way. Baseball has found a way, and we need to find a way, too.”
Whether they find a way, or not, people are intrigued by speed and competition, and one of Luther’s horses, a two-year-old pacer driven by Austin Hanners won the first race Thursday night with a thrilling rush to the wire (1;58.3).
In the second race Greenville’s own Ronnie Gillespie won a race for two-year-old trotters.
In the seventh and fifteenth races, Luther, himself, drove a pair of his own horses to wins.
Importantly, the people who came to watch, and stayed, entertained by the tradition of horse, driver, and racing being so much a part of the Darke County Fair. They got what they came for. An experience to remember…something to talk about.
And something to go see again, with four days of racing scheduled for this year’s fair. Give the people what they like.
And give them more reasons to like it. Greg Luther has figured it out.
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