by Charlene Polk, USTA Web Newsroom Senior Correspondent

Berlin, MD — We all know the saying “Give credit where credit is due,” but many times, especially in the horse business, that is not always possible, as horses change hands and racetracks constantly. The trainer who got a horse started on the road to success may be long forgotten by the time the horse makes it big.

Richard Ringler

That is becoming a familiar situation for Maryland horseman Richard Ringler. Although you won’t see him in the winner’s circle with them now, Ringler was responsible for starting colts such as Meadowlands Pace finalist Share The Delight, stakes winner Forensic Z Tam and veteran campaigner Jo Pa’s Bench Mark, among others.

Although the young horses he gets usually leave him as soon as they make the races, he is just happy to have helped in their success.

“I’m just proud to have gotten them going,” he said. “Going in I know that they’ll be leaving. It doesn’t bother me.”

Since becoming acquainted with veteran horsemen Mike and Patrick Lachance through a friend, Ringler, who is based at Ocean Downs, has had the opportunity to start numerous well-bred colts. He says it all began when he did well with a filly they sent him.

“They had a filly they’d had no luck with,” he said, “Best Chance Hanna. They sent her down here and we got her racing. That’s what got the ball rolling.”

Ringler has also developed a good working relationship with owner Andrew Cohen and trainer Linda Toscano, for whom he raced Wild Ride Hanover and broke Share The Delight p,3,1:50.2 ($309,841). He said there were a lot of similarities between Share The Delight and Forensic Z Tam p,3,1:51.2s ($790,864), the colt he broke the year before for the Lachances.

“They’re both Bettor’s Delights,” he said, “and they were both hard to get pacing but then trained down well.”

Other graduates of the Ringler Stable include Knoxtrot Hall (Broadway Hall-Knox Trot), who recently set a Tompkins-Geers stakes record for 2-year-old colts at Tioga Downs, Tidewaterdragonfly p,4,1:49.4 ($891,982) and Hanna’s Delight p,4,1:54.1f ($162,649).

Charlene Polk photos

Richard Ringler jogs a young Share The Delight in January 2007.

Ringler says a solid foundation and lots of mileage are the main ingredients to his young horses’ success. Longtime grooms Simon Dacus and Chris Sharpe have also been instrumental through the years in rigging and caring for the colts, he added.

Of course Ringler has plenty of experience with Standardbreds himself.

When he was just a child in Pennsylvania, his father William Ringler bought a horse with Dana Irving. The young Ringler quickly started taking care of the horse on Saturday mornings.

“Then I started walking horses and cleaning stalls for Dana Irving,” Ringler said. “It just happened. I kept riding my bike out to the farm. I caught the bug early.”

Ringler got his driver’s and trainer’s license in the early 1970s and has not looked back. Although he is driving less in recent years, he had his best year as a trainer in 2007 with $564,616 in earnings and a UTR average of .300. Since the USTA first began keeping trainer records in 1991, Ringler has 317 wins and earnings of $2,444,548.

Ringler said some of his most memorable moments in harness racing include a Pennsylvania Sire Stakes win with Double Tubby p,4,1:56.1f ($63,856), a Tompkins-Geers win with Secret Lover 2,2:01.3f and simply owning the classy Garnethill Sizzler p,1:52.4f ($381,992).

“We had some down time and Sizzler bailed me out,” Ringler said.

In 2006, Garnethill Sizzler had 14 wins, 10 seconds and five thirds from 37 starts for Ringler. He was claimed his first start in 2007 but Ringler has since bought him back.

“He’s got a home for life,” he said.

This year, Ringler is enjoying success with several horses for owner Albert Hanna, including Honolulu Hunk and Jordan’s Planet. He also has high hopes for 2-year-old pacing gelding Mr Express, a strong contender in the New York Sire Stakes.

But regardless of the racing luck he’ll have the rest of the year, Ringler knows it won’t keep him from the track.

“Racing gets in your blood,” he said. “It’s worse than drugs. You take a lot of abuse in this business but a little luck will last a long time.”