Terry Holton, 65, succumbs

Friday, May 4, 2007 - by John Pawlak, the U.S. Trotting Association

Terry Holton, long one of Ohio’s leading drivers and one of its most colorful and liked racing personalities, finally succumbed in a long bout with cancer; Holton, 65, died on Friday, May 4.

A winner of 1,703 races and $4.7 million in purses as a driver, Holton was born in Newark, Ohio, which served as his home through his entire life. Holton became enamored with the sport while still in high school, on trips to the Franklin County Fairgrounds in Hilliard, Ohio. His father bought a yearling, Zora Castle, for $650 -- and Holton and his father were in the business.

Zora Castle was trained by Forrest Short, for whom Holton worked as a groom upon graduation from high school, and it was behind the mare, at Washington Court House, Ohio, that he made his first start as a driver, in 1961. He went on to win driving titles at Scioto Downs in 1972 and 1973.

Holton’s expansive smile, warm handshake, and outgoing personality were enduring qualities, and his unquestioned enthusiasm for Standardbred horses and the sport of harness racing carried him a long way in his career.

Holton was first struck with pancreatic cancer in 2004, and fell near death, but by the summer of 2005 had returned to the sulky to train horses and drive in races. The feat of returning from death’s door to the sport he love thus provided him the nickname “the Miracle Man.”

Dean Hoffman, in a 2004 article about a hospital visit with Holton, wrote “Terry has a great sense of humor. He always has a wisecrack waiting for just the right person, and uses the one-size-fits-all nickname of "Bubbie" for many of his friends.”

In addition to his warm personality, Holton was known as a crack trainer and driver. In the 1970s he campaigned such stars as Playboy Hanover, p, 3, 1:56.4 ($126,803); Travelogue, 7, 2:03.4f ($57,578); Hal Butler, p, 3, 2:00.2h ($52,584); King Coal, p, 2, TT2:00.4 ($19,955); and Round Dance, p, 4, 1:58.4f (73,188); and Clever Napoleon, p, 3, 2:00.3h ($61,791), the later a world champion over two heats.

Later in his career he drove and developed such horses as the world champions Kuzzin Kat, p,4, 1:52.3 ($161,488) and O K Dick, 6, 1:58.2h ($374,946); and Keystone Martial, p, 4, 1:53.3 ($227,354).