Rich Fisher

Trenton, NJ — If Devon Tharps was any happier, he might need surgery to remove some of the excess joy that’s invading his body.

“Man, I couldn’t ask for it to go any better; 2024 has been a year full of blessings for me,” said the man whose life has seemingly begun at age 30.

It starts with the fact that “I finally jumped off the porch and I’m only driving now,” after four years of apprenticeship with trainer Tony Alagna, picking up drives whenever possible.

Devon Tharps entered Monday second to Atlee Bender in wins (13) and earnings ($181,060) at Kentucky’s Oak Grove Racing, Gaming & Hotel. Mark Herron photo.

Then there is the fact that he entered Monday second to Atlee Bender in wins (13) and earnings ($181,060) at Kentucky’s Oak Grove Racing, Gaming & Hotel. Overall, Tharps has 17 wins and over $240,000 in earnings in 124 starts.

Most importantly, he got engaged to the girl of his dreams. He and Emily Melton — born one day before Devon — are getting married Oct. 26.

“She was born Nov. 1 and I was born Nov. 2 of the same year, and we knew it was meant to be when we found that out,” Tharps said. “I tell her God made her and then made me to deal with her the next day.”

The two were introduced two years ago by a mutuel friend in Lexington, Ky., and neither was looking for a relationship at the time.

“Since the day we met, we’ve been each other’s person for one another,” Tharps said. “She’s got a 5-year-old daughter — my stepdaughter — Lolah, who’s like my little best friend. She loves watching me race, she’s probably my biggest fan.”

And his second biggest fan — Emily — deserves mention as she has become a big part of the story. The Kentucky beauty was willing to stand by her man until he solidified his career. Tharps was working at Alagna’s New Jersey stable when they met. As a nurse, Melton was not part of the harness racing scene but understood hectic schedules. She patiently waited for their lives to stabilize.

“She understands my dreams and what I want out of life and has been nothing but supportive,” Tharps said. “She said ‘If you have to go to Jersey and that’s going to better your career for the future, I will be here waiting for you when you get back.’ She has pushed me to be the best version of myself I can be.

“My whole life changed when I met Emily. She’s my rock. I don’t think I’d be where I am today without her. When we met is when I really started doing good driving.”

Indeed, in 2022 Tharps recorded then career highs in wins (25) and earnings ($460,021), both figures he surpassed last year with 47 victories and $574,315 in purses.

This year, with the rigors of training behind him and steady drives coming from Ron Burke and Jim “Trey” Brinson, Tharps is where he wants to be.

“When I picked up the Burke account and I realized I had that at Oak Grove (and some at Harrah’s Hoosier Park), that was enough for me to finally jump off the porch,” Tharps said. “I could literally sit back and say I have everything I ever wanted. I’m only driving, I’m not working for anybody. That’s always the end game. I’m happy to be here.”

The road to “here” started midway between Cincinnati and Dayton in Lebanon, Ohio, which Tharps calls “The cradle of drivers.” His grandfather Tom Tharps and his dad Trent were both involved in harness racing as was his uncle Randy, who has won more than 5,400 races in his driving career.

“They were superheroes to me,” Devon said. “I remember going to the races with dad, sitting in the tack room watching him shine up his boots before the races and just getting ready, then going over to the grandstand. We’d go out for win pictures, get whips, stuff like that. It was like sitting courtside at an NBA game. My dad was LeBron James to me, and my grandpa is a legend back home.”

Driving was a childhood dream as Devon helped Trent around the stable, but the dream made a pitstop in high school. With Ohio tracks not yet having slots, Devon figured “no one was getting rich from racing in Ohio.” He competed in football, basketball, and track at Lebanon High School, then went to Bowling Green for — psychology?

“I wanted to be a psychiatrist,” he said. “I’m just really good at reading people and I’m good at talking to people. I wanted to utilize that later on in life.”

He then added with a hearty laugh, “I don’t know if that would have worked out.”

Trent passed away in December 2012, after Tharps’ first semester, and he withdrew from college.

“I was forced to grow up a little,” he said. “I started grooming at the track.”

Devon fell under the wing of his dad’s best friend, Kayne Kauffman, and trainer AJ Carlo, both of whom “really helped me learn the basics and taught me a lot.”

“It still wasn’t in my mind to be a driver, I wanted to get back to college,” Tharps said. “But once I started jogging and training, a couple people saw some talent in me.”

The first was Walter Case Jr., who watched Tharps drive and approached him one day with a life-changing statement.

“He said ‘Man, you got a talent that not most people have; get your license,’” Tharps recalled. “That really pushed me.”

A day later he called the USTA to set up a test. Under the watchful and helpful eye of older brother Trent Jr., he got qualifying drives at Miami Valley and suddenly had a new aim in life. He got 80 percent of his drives from the late Bob Phillips — “a great guy” — and moved to Lexington four years ago. He had a few cheap claimers that didn’t win but earned him enough to get by.

One day trainer Alagna wandered past Tharps’ barn and told the young driver he had talent.

“He asked me what my plan was and what I wanted out of the business,” Tharps said. “I told him I want to be one of the best. If I’m going to do it, I’m going to do it to be one of the best, I want to get to that high stage. He said, ‘Well you have the talent to do it. I can help you get there if you want to come work for me.’

“So, I got rid of my horses and went down to Florida with Tony. I learned so much from that man and he really helped me put it together and become a smart driver. I was a speed demon before I worked for him, I couldn’t thank Tony enough, he has done so much for me in the business and out of the business; he really helped me mature as a driver and as a man.”

Alagna also taught Tharps the ropes when it came to training, which Devon felt was important.

“I wanted to learn the training aspect of it first,” Tharps said. “That way I can come off the track and they can trust me to drive their horse and know what I’m talking about. It took a little to get the ball rolling but after I won that race at The Meadowlands the rest was history. It really started to pick up.”

Devon Tharps won the 2021 Martin Luther King Jr. Remembrance Race at the Big M. It was his first career win. Lisa photo.

“That race” came on Jan. 16, 2021, when Tharps won the Martin Luther King Jr. Remembrance Race at the Big M. It was his first career win. He repeated the victory this season.

“Oh man, that’s been near and dear to my heart,” he said. “I couldn’t believe it, to have my first win come at The Meadowlands. How many people can say that who aren’t from up there? I try not to forget what the real reason we’re racing there is. It’s nice to go up there and show my support for the cause (of Dr. King’s hope for peace and civil liberties).”

Tharps worked for Alagna through last year while continuing to get drives when he could. It helped when Alagna got a stable in Kentucky, making it possible for Tharps to increase his drives at Oak Grove and Hoosier. But due to his work schedule in the barn, Devon’s availability was limited.

“I didn’t have steady work because I wasn’t steady,” he said. “It’s tough trying to be a second trainer and a catch driver. I always wanted to put Tony’s barn first before my driving. That’s what was paying the bills.”

Tharps got what he considers to be his breakthrough win in 2022 when he drove Taurasi to victory in a $100,000 Kentucky Commonwealth Series final at Red Mile.

Devon Tharps with Ron Ruggles, Tony Alagna and Vicki Howard in the winner’s circle with Taurasi. Amanda Stephens photo.

“They always say it takes one horse, and he was the one,” Tharps said. “Owners Ron Ruggles and Vicki Howard were there. They became so important to me that year. Very supportive of me. It was great to be able to get the win with them there and getting that headshot with the horse they raised. That horse meant so much to them and to me too. That was the horse that really got my name out there.”

Devon continued to trend upward last year, counting an early Kentucky Sire Stakes final as one of his 47 wins. At that point, he felt ready to be strictly a driver.

After last season Tharps called Burke to ask if he could be his main guy at Oak Grove. The trainer had given him some drives along the way and since he didn’t have a main guy at the Kentucky track, he brought Devon on board. He is now driving at Oak Grove and Hoosier six days a week.

After finishing fourth in wins at Oak Grove and 11th at the Red Mile last year, he and Brinson are second at Oak Grove for driver/trainer wins this season.

“I like to call me and him Shaq and Kobe,” Tharps said. “We’re a hell of a duo. We’ve won a lot down there. At one point we won six races in a row.

“I was getting most of my stakes drives from Tony, but Trey has used me a lot over the years. He’s always had my back. And a lot of my open wins are from Ron, he’s my main guy down there.”

After careful thought, he added, “They’re both my main guys!”

“And a lot of the drivers I’ve driven with have kind of taken me under their wing and been pretty cool about trying to put the talent together,” he added.

If it seems that Tharps thanks an inordinate amount of people, it’s because he has gotten an inordinate amount of help. It’s understandable, as his irrepressible personality makes people want to talk to him and provide guidance.

“I had a great relationship with all the owners at Tony’s,” he said. “It’s been that way my whole life. The horse business, my friends’ parents. I’ve had a lot of people help me along the way.”

That help has allowed him to find his perfect niche. He and Emily just bought a home and Devon is content racing at two tracks.

“This is enough,” he said. “I’m still on the fence about what I’m going to do this winter, because I am going to stay in Kentucky. I’m done moving around, I moved around my whole 20s, I was in Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, Florida. I’ve been everywhere.”

Now he has a house and two girls who he can’t wait to come home to. Their presence in his life has made the racing game a lot easier.

“One hundred percent,” Tharps said. “If I have a bad day, as soon as I walk in that front door, if they’re awake or asleep, I realize, ‘Hey, there’s more to life than just racing.’ I have a great life outside of it. I don’t let it get to me too much. A lot about driving is mental, and they do make it easier.”

Except for one thing. Because he’s such a popular guy, Oct. 26 has one snag.

“My wedding list,” Tharps said, “was really tough to make.”