by Chris Lomon

His main priority is chasing success, but for Pierce Henry, there is another equally important element to his harness racing career.

Whatever the Ohio racetrack, be it Dayton, Montpellier, Upper Sandusky, or the Delaware County Fair, the 27-year-old Buckeye State horseman is hopeful of two things at the end of each live racing card.

“Obviously, the priority is to get the best result and best effort from each horse you drive,” said Henry, who hails from Leipsic, a village in Putnam County, OH. “But it is also important for me to have the respect of other horse people and those in the industry, for them to know I am there to be successful and work hard.”

That has been the approach of Henry since he started out in the race bike in 2013 at the age of 16.

Two years later, he added training to his standardbred repertoire.

“My grandfather was a hobby horseman back in the 1970s,” Henry said. “I never got to meet him – he passed away quite a bit before I was born. My grandfather had a family friend, Russ Hill, and my dad kind of followed him around. My dad would bring me around to the races. Once you get around it, it is hard to get away from it.”

Not that Henry saw that as negative.

As a teenager, he made a name for himself on the Ohio fair circuit.

His milestone first driving win came at Tiffin Fair on July 22, 2013.

“When you get that first win, it feels like a monkey off your back,” he said. “It really helps when you finally get that one out of the way.”

The victory was special beyond it just being his first.

“I was 16 at the time,” Henry said. “I drove the horse [Cant Slay Me] for Ryan and Nicole Stall. They had another horse [State Of The Union] in the same race. I got to the front and had that other horse on my back where I wanted it to be. It was a close race, but we got there.

“What a very good feeling to win, which was even better considering you won it for someone you really look up to. It meant quite a bit.”

In 2015, Henry added training to his horseman skillset.

He won his first race as a conditioner on June 9 of that year, the victory coming with the filly Johns Jessi Bird at the half-mile oval in Paulding, OH.

“Training-wise, I started out with a lot of young horses,” he said. “I had an owner who supported me quite a bit. We started out with a few young horses and had some success. The first good one, Johns Jessi Bird, was competitive in the sires stakes ranks. She had a great 2-year-old season but came back at 3 and wasn’t as good. We had some luck with the babies.

“I love training down the babies, watching them from the time you get them to the time they make their way to the track.”

Forty-plus wins later as a trainer, and over 400 in the sulky, Henry has carved out a solid career on both sides.

Seven years ago, he won a career-best 78 races, more than a dozen of them coming with a local fair legend.

“I have driven some nice horses,” Henry said. “In 2017, when I was 21, I drove a horse named Carmensdaleyapple for Joe Paver. I didn’t drive him in his first start, but I got to drive him from that second start until his final start as a 2-year-old. He won 16-straight races.

“In the fair final at the end of his 2-year-old year, he drew the outside and had a rough trip. He ended up finishing fourth, but just looking back at how cool that was – everyone was aiming to beat him. To keep him out of trouble and keep winning was very cool. He was a great horse.”

One of many who have taught Henry valuable lessons along the way.

Known once for his aggressive approach in the race bike, he has refined and retooled his driving style over time.

“With driving, I try to watch and learn from as many as the successful drivers,” Henry said. “I did that a lot when I first started out. I was always told that patience was a big thing, so I watched the drivers who put themselves in good spots. You learn the good things they do and incorporate it into what you do.

“I used to be what people would call aggressive when I first started driving. Over time, you learn each horse is different and they all like to race differently. I feel like I have learned a lot about each horse I have driven. You have to always adapt to each horse and to what track you are driving at too.”

Henry’s well-rounded view of his roles has paid off handsomely.

This season, he has already set a career-best mark in driver purse earnings with three months left in the year.

Even so, the humble side of Henry sees the season as a “glass half-full.”

“There have been a lot of downs this year with my stable, but to keep going forward and pushing through is something I am proud of,” he said.

“The driving this year, it wasn’t one of the best years I have had, but it is still very good. The horses I was driving showed up each week at the fairs. I want to be consistent and competitive until the end of 2024 and then do the same next year.”

One guaranteed constant is Henry’s student-of-the-game outlook.

“Every day is different,” he said. “For me, if I don’t pick up or learn something new every day — even at the barn in the mornings — I feel something is missing. If it’s not learning from horses, watching races or talking to someone, or listening to others, I don’t think you are doing something right. There is always more to learn. You can never know enough.”

When he isn’t around the horses, Henry, try as he might to do otherwise, is thinking about them.

In the times they do escape his thoughts, life is all about family.

“Even when I get away from the horses and you try to shut your mind off for a while, you still end up thinking about them,” he said. “It’s hard to turn it off at times. But I enjoy spending time with my wife, my family and her family. We are all very close. Family is very big for me.”

Racing-wise, Henry has a set of goals, present and future, he is looking to chase.

“Short term, I would like to pick up more drives,” he said. “There have been years I have driven in a decent amount of pari-mutuel races. I don’t have a lot of people I drive for in the summer who race in the winter. I think that will change with a few of the people I drive for, which will give me some more opportunities.

“Long term, I would love to build a decent-sized stable, with younger, competitive horses, and to have some new owners.”

And, just as importantly, Henry, wherever he finds himself competing in Ohio, hopes to earn the one thing that keeps driving him forward.

“To be respected is a big thing for me,” he said. “Whatever I do, driving or training, I want to have a good name for myself. That means something to me.”