The Decision of a Lifetime

When Marysville, Ohio native Ray Paver was 18-years old, his father sat him down and talked with him about becoming a harness driver. Paver, who only trained for his father at the time, never gave much thought to driving until his father planted the idea in his head. Now, a seasoned driver, Paver is grateful for that talk which determined his destiny.

Paver’s father stocked cars for a living and became interested in horses later in life. He took a job as a horse caretaker while he continued working, and decided training and driving was his passion.

“I admire my father; he was a hard worker and knew what made him happy,” said Paver. “I think he wanted me to discover my love for horses early in life so that I wouldn’t waste any time. Once I started working with horses, I wanted to be involved long term; I just didn’t know to what degree,” he said.

Paver’s decision to become a driver has led him to the winner’s circle many times. His pride and joy, Laredo Kosmos, won a division of the 2001 Arden Downs Stakes and raced in The 2001 Hambletonian. Another stellar horse from the Paver stable, Yankee Sensation, won the two-year-old pacing colt 2001 PA Sire Championship in 1:54:1, earning $125,000.

Despite his good racing tactics, Paver has faced some troubled- times. In 1995, Paver was thrown from his race bike.

“I was catch driving at Scioto when the horse’s line broke during the race,” said Paver. “The horse threw me into a fence and I broke my ankle and severely injured my back and shoulder. I was off for six months and had trouble returning,” he said.
Luckily, Paver returned six months after the accident and jumped back into the sulky ready and willing to race; Paver noticed, however, racing had changed a bit.

“Racing continues to become faster,” said Paver. “The good thing about The Meadows is that the racing comes late in the mile, whereas on other tracks, the whole mile is raced strong. It’s easier to race at The Meadows because you aren’t forced to pull at the quarter mark. The limestone surface makes it a bit harder to get around. If a driver has to make two moves with their horse during a race, it would take too much out of the horse on this type of track,” he said.

Paver has raced his horses throughout the East Coast. Since 1995, he has enjoyed training his horses in Florida during the winter.

“The Spring Garden Ranch outside of Orlando City is fantastic,” said Paver. “I take the two-and three-year-olds to Florida every winter to break and train them. The warm climate benefits the horses’ soundness and helps to get more miles out of them. Next to The Meadows, the people in Florida are the friendliest and the facilities are nice. In addition, my mom lives in Tampa, which makes it convenient for the family to visit her every year,” he said.

Although Paver likes to train in the South, he always comes back to his second home, The Meadows.

When it comes to racing secrets, Paver won’t share his.

“My innate sense of the horse helps me figure out how they tick,” said Paver. “Once you know how to make your horse go, your job is done. The test is doing it on a consistent basis with patience and experience being key,” he said.

Paver definitely carries the patience virtue, especially with his trotter, Trojan Touch. As a two-year old, Paver was unaware that the horse broke his P-1 bone. Then as a three-year-old, Trojan Touch had an episode in his stall that left him with a quarter crack. Moreover, as a four-year-old, the trotter suffered an intestinal problem that almost became deadly. Fortunately, Paver has been patient, conditioning Trojan Touch back to a healthy condition.

When it comes to training and racing, Paver has the winning combination. It’s his offtrack inspiration, however, that keeps him going.

“I love spending time with my family,” said Paver. “They even help me in the barn during the week. My family is the reason I step onto the track each night. If it wasn’t for my supportive wife, Kelly, beautiful daughter Grace, and son Jack, I wouldn’t be here. I love harness racing because it allows me to provide for my number one, my family,” he said.