Holly and Ryan Holton have been through 34 years of marriage, 28 fractures, punctured lungs, metal plates and screws. Their story after one devastating accident is a refreshing one that’s happened to one great couple. (Press Pros Feature Photos)
Carried away from an accident five years ago at Hilliard, Ryan Holton has made his comeback as a trainer and advocate for youth involvement with racing. A career that’s been scary at times, he has the scars to prove his commitment to racing. He’s looking forward, not to the past.
Columbus, OH — Ryan Holton is still standing. And that, in itself, is a major miracle.
He didn’t walk away from his last race in a harness sulky. He was carried away after an accident five years ago at Hilliard.
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His X-rays from that mishap resemble a photograph of broken Pick-Up Sticks.
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He had 28 fractures, broke all of his ribs on his right side, collapsed and punctured his lung, has no right collarbone, just a metal plate and screws.
The doctor said it looked like that kid’s game, ‘Operation,’ where you pick up pieces with a tweezer.
And he had titanium plates put in his body
“My horse fell,” said Holton. “I was going down easy, but the guy behind me. …wow. That knocked me from here to the parking lot.”
He was in the air long enough to qualify for a pilot’s license, “And I cracked up when I finally hit the ground,” he said.
He doesn’t remember the horse’s name, doesn’t want to remember.
His lovely wife, Holly, his constant companion and guardian angel, said, “It was a catch drive. He wasn’t even supposed to drive that one. Somebody said, ‘Hey will you drive this for us?’”
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And in addition to the mountainous injuries from the accident, Holton has had three kidney transplants.
But keep him away from the horses and the tracks? It would be easier to pull molars with tweezers.
Holton, like so many horse people and horse lovers, has surrounded himself with horses as long as he can remember.
“All my life,” he says. “My father, Terry, is a Hall of Famer. I grew up around horses and that’s all I know. And some days I’d like to know something else,” he adds with a laugh.
“He started coming to the barns with his dad when he was about 13,” said Holly.
“Actually I started staying here when I was 13,” he said. “Back in the day they had 21 barns and a tack room here at Scioto Downs and I’d actually stay here until the meet was over. That’s where I grew up.”
Semi-retired, Holton and wife Holly own and train four hourses. “I’m actually having fun doing this, and I like the winning part. I love the competition.” – Ryan Holton
Holton calls himself semi-retired, but as of now, Holton and Holly own and train four horses on their farm near Pataskala at the end of a dead end road which Holly calls, “Our little slice of heaven.” But handling horses is not a dead end for the Holtons.
His body may be broken, but his mind is sharp and full of equine memories.
His first win?
“My first win was only my third time start,” he said. “Her name was She’ll Be Sweet right here at Scioto Downs. That was 1984 or 1985.”
Does he miss sitting in the buggy, bolting down the stretch in search of the finish line?
“Some days,” he said. “But I was about ready to call it quits anyway before the accident. The kidney stuff has taken some of my strength. I had already told Holly, ‘I’m about done.’ But I do miss it once in awhile.
Now it’s training.
“I hadn’t done any training, just driving,” he said. “I got into it after my wreck and my third kidney transplant. I have somebody take care of the horses, but I do all the training.
“It has been a lot of fun and I told Holly, ‘I’m having a lot of fun doing this,’” until a couple of weeks ago when my body started aching,” he said.
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It may slow him a bit at times, but it doesn’t slow his enthusiasm or work ethic.
“What did I like most about racing? Winning,” he said. “I love the competition.”
His list of big wins is as long as a horse’s face — a Sires Stakes in Lebanon behind Peachie Pie. He also won Sires Stakes in New York and Pennslyvania. And he has captured stakes races in Indiana.
“I won the Adios in 1999 with one of my dad’s horses named Life Work. He was second in the elimination and fifth in the final,” he said. “The same year they let me drive him in The Little Brown Jug. We ended up fourth in his elimination.
“There were three divisions that year,” he continued. “The top three and the fastest fourth qualified and I missed it by a fifth of a second,” which is quicker than the blink of a horse’s eye. “He put in a good effort, 1:52.2 and that was 1999, good speed back then.
“My brother, Richie, had a real nice 2-year-old, Special Mel, in 1990,” said Holton, continuing his walk down memory lane. “We won at Lexington with 1:53 and that was pretty good back then.”
Said Holly of Ryan’s racing retirement, “It should have been done earlier.” Wives think that way, ultra-protective. And 34 years into their marriage, she is still protective, always with him at the tracks.
In addition to working with hubby, Holly owns an in-home care company for seniors and her cousin is current racing legend David Miller.
And the Holtons are giving back, trying to get younger people involved in the sport.
“We all grew up together around the races and I that’s where I met him,” she said. “His dad (Terry) was so involved in harness racing, a hall of famer, and we wanted to keep his name alive. Terry always tried to keep young people involved in harness racing.
“So when I started my company, we started a young driving series every year,” said Holly “The first year was only four or five legs.”
“We struggled to get horse and kids into it,” said Ryan. “This is year they just had the first leg at Circleville with six or seven in it, a full field. So it’s really picked up.”
Now there are 10 legs at county fairs and a final set for Dayton Raceway.
“It is growing and it is fun,” said Holly. “It is hard to get the young kids involved.”
Said Ryan, “Hey, it’s coming around and it’s a good series. We’ve taken the opportunity. And there’s a dinner at the end of the year and they give an award in Terry’s name, ‘The Youth Award.’”
The Holtons have a son, Hunter, who always has loved the horses and the racing. He was always around the races, but too big at 6-foot-4 to be a driver. Instead, he went to Notre Dame on a track scholarship.
“Ryan told him, ‘You go to college and get your degree, then if you want to mess with horses after that…’” said Holly. “So he did and he pushed us to get together and we did. We formed Holton Racing LLC and he owns all or parts of the horses. It’s fun, it’s family.”
And the rebound from the devastating accident is a refreshing story that happened to one great couple.
Harness racing is all the better for it.
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