The third-generation horsewoman on both sides of her pedigree, even has Irish eyes smiling on her.

by Murray Brown

Heather Wilder is numerous things: a great wife, mother, daughter of a great horse trainer, superb at social media, president of her USHWA Chapter, in my far from modest opinion the very best interviewer in the sport, a part-time yearling shopper and horse trainer, and in the last couple of years she has become the North American representative of the Vincent Delaney Memorial (VDM) weekend which is domiciled in Ireland and takes place there and in Wales, just a ferry ride away over the Irish Sea.

That’s quite a resume. Let’s speak about each. You are married to Mike Wilder one of the best drivers not only at The Meadows but in all of North America.

“Mike and I have been together for 26 years and married for 24. I was working in Ohio at Scioto Downs when I first met him. Mike was the leading driver at Lebanon Raceway and then won titles at Scioto Downs. It was love at first sight. I remained in Ohio for two years and worked at the USTA. When Mike received an opportunity to drive for a well-known stable in Pennsylvania, we moved back to my hometown.

“In retrospect it wasn’t easy for him. He was a young guy on top of the world at Lebanon where he also had family and many friends.

“Here, he was being put in with a group of veteran race drivers. He was young and raw. It took him some time, but his talent came to the fore. He became one of our leading drivers here, of course behind Dave Palone. Everybody here is always behind Dave Palone. Just think of this, Dave has been the leading driver here at The Meadows for 36-consecutive years. How amazing is that?”

In regards to Mike, the last couple of years have presented a couple of major health issues for him.

“Yes. Hopefully all of that is in our rearview mirror now. My sister Julie is a doctor. She suggested that Mike get a colonoscopy. Just routine, we thought. They found that he had stage 3 colon cancer. They had to remove 10 inches of his colon and over the last year he has undergone eight rounds of chemotherapy. It was very hard on all of us, but of course, especially on Mike.

“After the surgery, he was back at work daily despite going through the chemo and having to live with a port in his chest. Last summer he got into a terrible wreck at The Meadows where he was knocked unconscious. At the time, he still had the port in his chest as a conveyance for the chemo. In addition to the head injury, I was concerned about the port becoming dislodged and him bleeding out as it was connected to the main artery in his body. Thankfully, all he had was a concussion, which of course was more than enough. He just recently got a clear scan. The cancer is now in the past.”

You guys have two extraordinary daughters of whom you are deservedly quite proud.

“Yes. Scarlett is a critical care nurse. She has also been and is still quite horsey. She is an accomplished and competitive barrel racer and is very good around horses. She also trains with us. She has her own driving colors and has driven in qualifiers. She actually worked at the Fox Den consignment at Harrisburg this year, showing horses.

“Lauren just graduated from Penn State this past year and is in the midst of choosing which medical school she plans to attend.”

Your dad, Dan Altmeyer, is one of the finest people and most accomplished horseman it has been my privilege to have known.

“He is indeed a very special person. He is a great thinker, a great leader and certainly a great horse trainer. He just turned 70 and is regularly out there with us training. When we have a question, he is the person we go to. He might not have the answer immediately, but within a short period of time he will have thought it out. When he comes up with the answer, it will invariably be the right one. Both Mike and myself tend to be impulsive, dad is anything but that. He is the true leader of our stable.”

You have become a fixture on social media, primarily with your insightful interviews on Twos in Training here in HRU, but also, it seems, in most places, especially in your native Pennsylvania when major events are taking place.

“There’s no denying I love it as I love every phase of the business in which I become involved. I suppose the starting point on just about all of it is that when asked to do something, just about anything, I can’t say no. I’m game to try just about anything. Once I become immersed, I usually like it all.

“I look upon the Twos in Training interviews as being educational, not only to the audience at which they are aimed, which I hope they are, but perhaps even more so to me. How can a person speak with and ask questions of people like Casie Coleman, Brian Brown and John Butenschoen and not come away with more knowledge?

“I’m also deeply involved with USHWA and am proud to be the Pennsylvania Chapter’s president. Our chapter has the most members [tied] of any in the entire organization.

“I find that USHWA sometimes has its critics. But of one thing I am certain. It is not only a very necessary organization, but its leadership is composed of some of the very finest people in all of harness racing. They are all givers – mostly of their time and talent with no remuneration or compensation. They give because they truly love our sport.”

In recent years you have become the American representative for the VDM weekend, more than just a weekend of racing, which has evolved into a festival of sorts. This year, the racing takes place at Tir Prince in Wales, but most of the events leading up to the racing take place in Ireland.

“What a privilege that has been. If anybody says they love and know harness racing and haven’t been to the VDM, then they haven’t experienced one of the sport’s most important and enjoyable segments — emphasis on enjoyable!

“The race itself was established by the brothers Derek and James Delaney to honor the memory of their brother Vincent.

“At the beginning it was just the race itself. Since then, with each passing year, it has grown from an important horse race to a true festival of not only racing, but of Ireland, its wonderful people, its history and its great culture. I was first introduced to Ireland, the VDM and Derek Delaney through one of our family’s best friends and supporters Roger Huston. Roger had been there several times and kept telling me that Mike and I needed to go. We of course did. When Roger tells you something, it is usually worthwhile to listen.

“All of the Delaney family members are truly exceptional. If there are better and nicer people anywhere I have yet to meet them.

“One of my fondest memories of Ireland involved you. It took place the first year I was over there. We were on a fantastic carriage ride through downtown Dublin. There were several horse-drawn carriages each filled with horsepeople from all over the world.

“You and I were in the same carriage. You had brought along some Hanover Shoe Farms hats which you were occasionally distributing to folks on the road. Along came this little boy who desperately wanted one. But you had given them all away. You reached up on your head and handed him the one you were wearing. The look on that kid’s face was one of pure joy. He asked you to autograph it which of course you were glad to do.

“Another incident that year also involved you. The airlines had misplaced Roger’s and my luggage. We were without fresh clothes. Thankfully, you had brought along several Hanover new golf shirts which we wore for a couple of days and then kept as souvenirs.

“This year’s event promises to be bigger and better than all the preceding ones. 

“Of course, we say that every year. Strangely enough though, every year it always is.”