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The Ohio Chapter of the United States Harness Writers Association has selected Amy Hollar to receive the prestigious Rambling Willie Award recognizing the Ohioan who has done the most for harness racing over the past two decades.
The popular and indefatigable Cuyahoga Falls resident has been MGM Northfield Park’s Ohio Harness Horsemen’s Association track representative since 2001, serving under five OHHA general managers.
Hollar, 56, was born in Bellefontaine OH to a family with deep harness racing roots. Grandfather Ken Harvey, who conducted a pony ride around Ohio fairs in the late sixties and early seventies, gravitated to Standardbreds and opened his own stable with the support of the entire clan. Amy’s mother Melanie earned her driver-trainer license in 1979. Amy and her two younger sisters, Jenny and Stacy, helped Dad Tony operate the family farm. “Pa was a ‘girl Dad’ before anyone knew what that meant. He made sure his girls knew they were just as smart as any boy while Ma made sure we had clean hands in public and could curl our eyelashes,” recalled Amy.
Besides Scioto Downs, the family stable often competed at Raceway Park. Previously a drama major at Kent State, Amy transferred to the University of Toledo in the early 1990’s, met her future husband Calvin, switched her major to journalism, hired on as the OHHA track representative in 1991, and married Calvin on September 26, 1992, in the Raceway winner’s circle followed by a reception in the sold out clubhouse.
Hollar’s 24-year stint at Northfield has been a remarkable balancing act in terms of productivity, hard won respect and sheer stamina. While raising a family of three — sons Carson and Aaron and daughter Toni Dale — she continues to work mornings several hours in the barn with Calvin, aka “Buck,” and makes herself available to horsemen all day and night long. And not only at Northfield. Horsemen at all three seasonal downstate tracks know they can count on her to coordinate catch drives, ship-in stalls and other details related to the Route 8 oval’s year-round series and stakes events.
Amy’s energy, organizational skills and captivating presence in post-race ceremonies brings to mind the old adage “the hostess with the mostest” — herding excited owners and connections for the photograph, blanketing the horse, giving hugs while distributing bling and mementos, and safely exiting everyone from the winners’ circle multiple times a night to stay on a tight schedule.
While Amy Hollar works for the horsemen and represents their interests with tenacity and effectiveness, she has earned the deep respect of both Northfield management and state regulatory authorities. Her long and successful efforts to maintain Ohio’s status as The Heart of It All in the nation’s Standardbred industry is why she has earned the 2024 Rambling Willie Award.
by Tom Aldrich for the Ohio Chapter of USHWA
