by Rich Fisher, USTA Web Newsroom Senior Correspondent

Rich Fisher

Trenton, NJ — Horses have always been a love for Dustin Arledge but at age 15 they became an escape from the sad side of life for him and his dad, Jim Arledge Jr.

On Oct. 8, 2003, Arledge’s mom, Tish, passed away of a brain aneurysm at age 44. It left Jim a widower after 25 years of marriage and was devastating for Dustin and younger sister Denise.

But they always had the horses. Jim was already an established trainer and Dustin was following in his footsteps. Their loss served to hasten those steps.

“I think that’s when we both dove into the horses real hard and we kind of used the horses to bring us together,” Dustin said. “It’s both what we loved and the horses were kind of the glue that held everything together.”

It was long-lasting cement glue, as Dustin worked for his dad for 10 years after graduating high school, and has been training his own stable for just over a year. Arledge went on his own last August and finished the year with 68 starts. He has 178 starts this year and has forged 25 career wins.

“I think I’ve had a very successful first year,” he said. “I feel like it’s went very well. I started the year with eight yearlings and seven of them made it to the races and all took records. They’ve all made decent money.”

Conrad photo

Authentic Hanover has won three of his six lifetime starts, with earnings of $51,144.

The best of the bunch is Authentic Hanover, who will race in Saturday’s Ohio Sire Stakes championship for 2-year-old male pacers at Scioto Downs. Authentic Hanover, with regular driver Tyler Smith, will start from post No. 5 and is 12-1 on the morning line. But he has his trainer’s complete confidence.

“I think he’s one of the best,” Arledge said. “He won the first two sire stakes legs and looked great. Then he got a little sick. There’s two starts in there where he wasn’t himself. The last race at Northfield, I feel great about the way he raced there. He paced (1):52.3 and was running over top of people at the finish line. I feel great about that fourth-place finish.

“I like his chances coming into the final. I think he’s as good as anyone in there.”

Arledge owns Authentic Hanover with Hutchison Harness and Mary Thompson. The colt, a son of Western Vintage out of O’Brien Award-winning millionaire Armbro Amoretto, was purchased for $18,000 at the 2017 Ohio Selected Jug Sale.

Authentic Hanover has proven to be handy, having won from the front and also by coming off the pace.

“You can do whatever you want with him,” Arledge said. “He’s kind of put me on the map my first year out on my own. For him to do that for me, it means a lot.”

After the sire stakes, Authentic Hanover will finish up with the Ohio Breeders Championship on Little Brown Jug Day, Sept. 20, at the Delaware County Fair. How he does in the final two races will dictate how extensively Dustin will stake him next year.

“We’ll see how he finishes up the year, and let him tell us whether he deserves a shot against the big dogs or not,” Arledge said. “He’s a very nice colt, I really like him, so we’ll see. He’s got two more races yet, then he can go enjoy the green grass and hopefully come back and be a great 3-year-old.”

Arledge is quick to thank the group of owners who have given their trust to him as a first-year trainer, and also credits wife Tara “for being so understanding” as he has been away from home frequently during the past year.

The couple has a set of 2-1/2-year-old boy-and-girl twins in Reid and Collins, and Arledge thinks Reid may someday enter the business.

“I think he’s kind of bred into it,” his dad said with a laugh.

That’s an understatement, as Dustin is a fourth-generation horseman who can’t remember when racing wasn’t in his blood.

“I’ve loved it ever since I could understand what was going on,” he said. “There was kind of no doubt in my mind what I wanted to do. I went to school for a while and got a degree in personal finance (from Franklin University in Ohio) but as soon as that was finished I was all go into the horses. It’s in my blood, it’s what I love.”

Dustin played football and basketball in high school and could not devote as much time to the stables as he would have liked. College also cut into that as well. But he took every possible opportunity to be part of it.

“I grew up on the backstretch,” Arledge said. “Never missed a horse race, loved going to the horse sales. Even when I was in high school and dad was going to horse sales I was looking at results quicker than they were putting them up, trying to figure out what’s coming to the barn next.”

Dustin, who turns 30 next month, began working fulltime for his dad after graduating high school, and soon after earned his trainer’s license. It was an invaluable learning experience under the wing of a trainer with more than 2,000 lifetime wins; and who still trains 25 horses while finding time to help out his protégé.

“Me and my dad have always been very close; best friends,” Arledge said. “Even now I’m out on my own, my barn sits next to his barn, we do everything together. If I got a quick question or need anything it’s just ‘Hey dad come help me with this,’ and he’s still there for me.”

And while the lessons have been many, one stands out more than any other.

“Patience has probably been the biggest aspect,” Arledge said. “That’s something he’s known for. And me, being 29 years old, I want it all right now. So patience, I guess, is what I’m learning.”

And yet, he was never in a huge rush to break away from his dad. When the two came to a mutual agreement last year, it wasn’t like Dustin was running around going “Finally!”

“Nah, there was no blood spilled there,” he said with a laugh. “But as he starts to slow down and (near retirement), it was just a good time. He was slowing down and I was wanting to grow.”

Apparently his lengthy apprenticeship paid off, as Arledge has felt right at home since going it alone.

“It hasn’t been any different, really,” he said. “I was very hands on, I did most of it at the other stable and did a lot of managing at the other stable. For me this wasn’t a big step, I was taught the right way, jumping right into this wasn’t any different for me.”

It may not be different, but the level of excitement certainly changes from race to race. Arledge said that without a doubt this Saturday marks the biggest race he has been involved with in his short training career. He’s not afraid to admit some nerves.

“Oh yeah, there’s always butterflies when you race in these prestigious races,” he said. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous now, but that’s why we love this crazy gig.”

For Arledge, it’s a lifelong love affair.