By DOUG GRAVES
Ohio Correspondent

TROY, Ohio — The Miami County Fair in Troy is a testing grounds of sorts. It is one of the last county fairs of the season, and it’s where many Standardbred owners, trainers and drivers hone their final skills and preparations prior to the start of the fall racing season.
The Miami County Fair races are also the testing grounds for many novice drivers such as Ronny Richards, of Greenville, Ohio.

“I this as a way of getting away from work,” said Richards, 33, who works full-time as an air traffic controller at Dayton International Airport.

County fairs in Ohio are where one will find veteran drivers breaking in new horses or novice drivers using experienced horses to work on their driving skills. Richards fits in with the latter category.

“My first start ever was three years ago at the Darke County Fair in Greenville,” he said. “I finished second in my first start and last year I won my first race. It’s a thrill, a rush and a lot of fun. There’s a lot of commotion at times, especially at the beginning of the race.

“The most nervous that I get is when I’m waiting for the starter to call us to the gate. But as soon as the drivers get their horses behind the gate and everyone is doing what they’re supposed to do and the gate springs open, there’s more relaxation.”

Harness racing is simply Richards’ hobby, though he wouldn’t mind racing horses on the side. But competing at pari-mutuel tracks is some time away; he must drive in 30 more fair races to just qualify for a provisional license.

“Ever since I was a little kid, I used to watch harness racing at the Darke County Fair in Ohio,” he said. “My mother married into the racing business and I just got hooked. It’s pretty nerve-wracking at times, but the idea is to never panic. It’s much like the driving the car or working as an air traffic controller; it’s a reaction game.”

By contrast, there’s Devan Miller, a seasoned veteran of Standardbred racing even though she’s just 22. She started driving horses when she was 16. Her name can be found in many race programs in tracks throughout the Midwest and East.

“I started jogging horses when I was 12, during matinees,” said Miller, a graduate of nearby Troy High School. “Matinees are held at the end of the racing season when people start schooling their horses. There’s no betting, and they’re not racing for any money.”
Devan is the daughter of David Miller, one of the sport’s top drivers and money earners in the nation, with more than 9,000 races and $131 million earned.

He was recently nominated for induction into the Ohio Harness Racing Hall of Fame. Devan Miller hopes to follow in her father’s footsteps.

“Dad told me, ‘Devan, it took me 10 years to get a handle on driving and earn the respect of the other drivers. And you’re a girl, so it will probably take you 20,’“ Miller recalled.

“I didn’t think it would be that tough. At least, not because I was a girl. I do get pushed around a little by the other (male) drivers, but I think it’s more because I’m young than because I’m a girl.”
At most county fairs throughout the nation there are saddle cloths and small purse money to be won. Richards uses fair races to hone his skills. Miller uses the fair circuit to better her skills and to strengthen younger horses and get them ready for the pari-mutuel scene.

“Even though I’m a veteran driver, I still get the butterflies,” she said. “They never go away.”