by Chris Lomon
If dedication was measured in miles and commitment, Allex Woolums would be a driving force.
The young Ohioan’s devotion to standardbred racing and its equine stars is unquestionable.
Road trips, some of them two hours or more each way, are hardly an inconvenience for Woolums.
“I am just trying to drive as many horses as I can,” said Woolums, who worked for trainer Brian Georges for seven years. “I warm up horses every night at Dayton. And if I have to drive somewhere to warm up one horse, I’ll do it. I want people to see I am dedicated and that I want to be there.
“My biggest thing is showing up every day, working hard and learning whatever I can.”
A fourth-generation horseman, Woolums is getting his driving career in gear.
He has sat in the sulky for a handful of qualifiers, the first coming in September at Scioto Downs. His second came later that month, this time at Dayton Raceway.
In rein to Nickis All In, a 4-year-old pacing son of Rustys All In—Whistler Seelster, Woolums battled a few butterflies in the moments before the starter called the field.
“Honestly, I was nervous,” Woolums said. “I looked over and I saw guys like Dan Noble, who have been driving for a long time, and it hit me that I was on the same track and in the same race as them.”
As the horses got into position on the gate and began to pick up speed, Woolums’ anxiousness dissipated.
“When it’s time to race, you forget everything else and just focus,” Woolums said.
Leaving from post 7 in the eight-horse field, Woolums’ initial hope was to get away quickly with the Steven Ashby trainee.
So far, so good.
Sitting second through splits of :28.1, :56.4 and 1:26.3, Nickis All In chased stablemate Corner The Market down the lane.
At the wire, Woolums and the brown gelding were a neck in front, pacing the mile in 1:56.2.
“I sat a 2-hole trip the whole time and it worked out perfectly,” Woolums said. “I wasn’t trying to win it for myself. It was more important for my horse to pass another one, for him to get that feeling.”
The victory embodied Woolums’ approach with pacers and trotters, where both driver and horse have a say.
“In warm-ups on race night, I don’t like to fight horses,” Woolums said. “I want to work with them, to understand what they need to be at their best. I think the people I warm up for know that I am there to keep their horse relaxed. People like that.”
Woolums has a stable full of support.
Encouragement is never in short supply as he works to raise his profile in racing.
“My stepdad is Ryan Malone, who trained and drove,” Woolums said. “He owns a horse now and his father, Wendell Malone, is the trainer, but when I was younger, they had five or six who raced all the time. My stepdad supports me a lot. He waits on me to get home every night, asking me how many I warmed up, how they were, who they were for. It makes me feel good that people care and makes me work even harder to find success.”
Woolums’ path to his present time in racing has been a winding one.
His scholastic focus was on heavy equipment and engineering.
“Right out of school, I went to work at Hagemeyer Farms,” he said of the full-service Equine Boarding, Breeding and Foal Care Facility in Southwest Ohio, just 15 minutes from Woolums’ home. “I was cleaning stalls. I learned a lot when I was there – breeding, babies, and a lot of other important things.
“After I graduated, there was no formal ceremony because of COVID. A staff member made a Secret Santa-type event, and I got a coffee cup, gloves, a business card for an excavating company, and a note saying who it was from. It was from a lady who worked in the school office.”
While the job didn’t pan out as he hoped, Woolums realized that his future was tied to something from his past.
A life in horse racing was meant to be.
“I appreciated the opportunity, but I started to realize what I wanted to do,” Woolums said, “My father, Allen, has worked for Brian Georges for seven years. When I was in high school, I would go to the barn every morning, cleaning stalls and helping with whatever was needed. After I stopped working excavating, I went back to Brian, which was in the wintertime.
“Not long after that, I knew I was hooked.”
Still in the early stages of his time in the race bike, Allex allows himself to dream big, while also meticulously following a patient plan to achieve his goals.
“Being from Ohio, everyone in the industry here wants to win the Little Brown Jug,” Allex said. “That’s a very big long-term goal. I did paddock a horse who won a heat of the Jug, Ken Hanover [trained by Roland Mallar], back in 2023, and that was very cool – the best experience I ever had.
“Shorter term, I need to hit the fair circuit and go hard there. I’m big on showing up and giving my best.”
Allex fashioned the same work ethic during his bull-riding career.
“I have always wanted to show people that I am serious about being there and being ready for the moment,” Allex said. “I will do that when I go to the fairs, to show I am dedicated to doing my best every chance I get.”
When he isn’t at the barn, Allex is enjoying his role as a new father.
Allex and his partner, Isabella Bullock, welcomed a son, Waylon, on Oct. 2.
“I’ll tell you what – that right there is my favorite thing,” Allex said. “To spend time with him, seeing him smile, it is the best thing I could ever ask for. There is so much to look forward to with him in our lives.”
There is also an unmistakable tone of optimism in Allex’s voice when he speaks of his racing career.
As always, he will continue to go the extra mile.
“I’m happy to go anywhere, anytime, to be around the horses, and show people how much they mean to me and how much this sport means to me,” Allex said.
A recent post on his Facebook page perhaps perfectly encapsulates Woolums’ optimistic mindset.
It reads, ‘Stay small enough long enough you’ll be big enough soon enough.’
Eleven words that drive Allex Woolums each and every day.
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