Ken Weingartner

Hightstown, NJ — Shane Paul has enjoyed his share of success in sports, whether it be in wrestling or horse racing, but when trotter Aftermeyourfirst won a conditioned race recently at Eldorado Scioto Downs it was unlike anything the Ohio resident experienced before.

It was Paul’s first victory as the owner of his own horse.

Paul, who got into harness racing six years ago through fractional ownership groups, in April stepped out on his own by claiming Aftermeyourfirst for $15,000 at Miami Valley Raceway. He turned the 6-year-old gelding over to trainer Jeremy Moore, who Paul first met a decade earlier when Paul was the head wrestling coach at McClain High School in Greenfield, about 50 miles south of Columbus, and Moore was a referee.

Shane Paul claimed Aftermeyourfirst for $15,000 at Miami Valley Raceway. Photo courtesy of Shane Paul.

Aftermeyourfirst hit the board in four of his first nine starts for his new connections before winning by a nose in a career-best 1:55.1 on Aug. 25 at Scioto. The gelding was ninth at the half, three-wide on the final turn, four-wide entering the stretch, and scored at 17-1 odds with Tyler Smith in the sulky.

“I was involved with a lot of winning horses (as a fractional owner) but that was special,” Paul said. “The fact that I’ve got my hands involved with this horse, and to see where he was when we started and where he is now, he’s come a long way.

“What I do with him is nothing compared to what Jeremy has put into him. He does a great job as a trainer. And the way Tyler Smith drove him was absolutely amazing. I couldn’t have asked for a better drive. The way he won that race was very exciting. It was the perfect way to get a first win.”

Even though Paul knew Moore previously through wrestling, it was a chance meeting that brought the two together as racing partners. Paul was at Scioto to watch a horse, and noticed Moore’s wife taking pictures near the finish line.

“She turned around, and I recognized her because she would take pictures at the wrestling tournaments,” Paul said. “She saw me and asked if I was a wrestling coach and we got to talking. Jeremy ended up giving me a call later and asked if I wanted to get involved in a trotter that he was trying to get back to the races. I did.

“The horse never made it back to the track but getting involved was a real benefit for me because I actually got in the barn and got some hands-on learning from that side of things. When I started getting in the barn, I decided it was time to do away with (fractional ownership) and focus my attention on horses I could put my hands on.”

Paul, who is a maintenance manager for a Walmart distribution center, selected Aftermeyourfirst after careful consideration.

Aftermeyourfirst hit the board in four of his first nine starts for his new connections before winning by a nose in a career-best 1:55.1 on Aug. 25 at Scioto. S.F. Johnson photo.

“I did a lot of studying and couldn’t find anything about him that I didn’t like,” Paul said. “I was ecstatic to get him. He’s really been a great horse for us.

“To me, he’s a tracker. He’ll go with whatever is in front of him. He can go with some pretty good horses.”

Paul, who works overnights, visits the barn to take care of Aftermeyourfirst when he gets finished with his shift. He often arrives at 5:30 in the morning and spends several hours with the trotter, who makes up his connections’ one-horse stable.

“He’s a nice horse to work with,” Paul said. “If he was small enough, he’d be a lapdog.

“I’m just continuing to learn. I study his actions and movements and see if I notice anything different from day to day. I go over every inch of him. I take my time that way. I do a lot of groom work. It’s been great for me. I’m building a really good relationship with my horse that way. I think that’s important. It’s been a lot of fun.”

Paul is going to keep his fun in the barn. He has no intentions of getting behind the horse to jog or train.

“The reason I have a trainer is to give the horse his best opportunity to succeed,” Paul said. “If I’m out there jogging him, there might be something, even the slightest thing, that I miss. To me, that should be put in the hands of somebody that will recognize it. For me to be out there jogging him, that’s not going to benefit my horse. It doesn’t even interest me, to be honest.”

Paul was a district wrestling champ in high school and turned around the program at McClain after inheriting a team with only four varsity wrestlers in 2010. He started a youth program, which he also coached, and worked with the team at the junior high level as well. Eight years later, McClain won a sub-regional dual-meet championship to reach the regional final four in the state tournament.

“When I get into something, I’m really dedicated to it,” Paul said. “But I think you can only write so many chapters in so many books in this life. So, what I do, I write my final chapter and put that book on the shelf. I think my last book is going to be harness racing. I think that’s where I am right now. Who knows where it’s going to go.

“I can tell you this much, I’m not stepping away.”