www.trmirelandinc.com
O
N a serious tear as the leading trainer at Presque Isle Downs in Erie, Pennsylvania, 39-year-old Ron Potts Jr., a thirdgeneration horseman from British Columbia, Canada, is at a good point in his career and not in a rush for whatever comes next. Asked where he wants to be five-to-10 years down the road, he said, “I never really thought about it. I like it here.” He should. Through the first week of July, he’d won 20 of 58 starts, a 34.5 percent clip, with 10 seconds and 11 thirds for an astronomical in-the-money percentage of 70.7 at Presque Isle. “We try to gear our year around this meet,” he said. Even so, he also races his 32-horse stable at Parx, Penn National, Belterra, Mountaineer, Thistledown, and, when Presque Isle Downs’ 100-day meet ends in early October, at Tampa Bay Downs in Florida. His career choice wasn’t a surprise. “I was kind of thrown into the business,” he said. Both his dad, Ron, and mom, Brenda, were trainers, as was his grandfather. “We were pretty young when we started,” he said. He began getting serious responsibilities in the barn when he was eight and joined his
brother Wade galloping horses when he was 11. Potts still gallops six-to-10 of his horses today. “It’s definitely helped,” he said. “It’s a lot easier to know what’s wrong with them if you’re on them.” There’s one big difference. The last two years, his dad has worked as his assistant. “It works out great,” he said. Potts’ family moved to the United States when he was 20, four years after he got his trainer’s license. “I’d already been in the business for years,” he explained. “Some of my horses had been racing in my father’s name and he took a string of horses to Washington State. I took the trainer’s test and passed.” He got a big break 10 years ago when another trainer suggested his name to The Elkstone Group, headed by Stuart Grant, an attorney in Delaware who also uses trainers Rudy Rodriguez, Chad Brown, and Rick Violette. “They had this naughty horse, Windham Hill, who’d been thrown out of two tracks,” Potts said. “I had him about six weeks and he finished second [although he was disqualified], then first. I’ve had as many as 20 horses at one time for Stuart since.” On a memorable two days last September, The Elkstone Group’s colt Duff won the
$107,000 Roanoke Stakes for three-yearolds at Parx by a nose. The next day at Presque Isle, The Elkstone Group was back in the winner’s circle with its two-yearold colt Balk, who captured the $75,000 Mark McDermott Stakes by a length and three-quarters. They ran on the same card at Presque Isle July 10th this year. After Duff finished fourth in a $101,000 stakes, Balk finished second in an allowance race. Together, the two horses have already earned more than $410,000. Other successful Elkstone Group runners trained by Potts are the four-year-old gelding Starling’s Law, who’s won six of 16 starts and earned nearly $170,000, and a trio of two-year-old winners: Political Animal; Crazycantberighted, who is stakesplaced; and Castles in the Air. Potts is helped by his wife Sara; their 15-year-old son Ethan, who works summers but doesn’t see his future with horses; and their 11-year-old son Cody, who’d jump into the business now if he could. And business has never been better. Still, Potts doesn’t dismiss the notion that he may be headed for even more success at bigger tracks. “It’d be nice to be on a better stage,” he said. “Better horses are coming. But I’m kind of content right now.” n
ISSUE 41 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM
9