Trowshu Racing finds fun and success

It all started back around 2016 or 2017 when harness racing fans James Trnka and Matt Meyers began to talk about jumping into the full-fledged ownership side of the sport- they had all enjoyed favorable experiences with Fractional Ownership at Running Aces for several years.

After mulling over the idea for a while, and having become fans of trainer/driver James Yoder, they had a chance meeting with him one day. They approached him and queried about the possibilities of getting a horse, and having James (J.D.) train and drive for them.

The result of those early inquiries was a partnership between the three men, on a horse named Ramsay. With Yoder, they successfully campaigned that horse at Running Aces, even finding the winner’s circle.

Some other friends and Aces regulars took notice of the fun and excitement that Jim and Matt were experiencing and expressed that they wanted to join in for the next racing season. Will Shushelnycky was the next to join into the partnership, and then sadly, Matt Meyers passed away not long after that. He is deeply missed by his racing friends at Running Aces.

Another friend and racing enthusiast Ken Owens joined in with Jim and Will to form Trowshu Racing, a name which combines the first letters of each of their last names. Ramsay had been sold at the end 0f 2018 and with the help of Yoder, the group found two new horses- Rush And A Brush, and Mitch Mc Bluegrass. Younger brother to James, Jesse Yoder picked up the training and driving assignments for the group. The team had success with both horses, and made more trips to the winner’s circle. After the Yoder brothers turned their summer racing attention to Indiana and the east coast, the group needed a new trainer at Running Aces.

They found the perfect match with young, up-and-coming trainer Ariel Alvarez, and the Trowshu team is now three horses strong. They have the very nice pacing mare Lakota Law, a Minnesota-Sired horse who was able to garner a Runner Up award in the aged pacing mares division in Minnesota for 2020, despite just a handful of local starts at the end of the summer. Lakota Law won 4 races in a row at Running Aces during August and September, providing tremendous thrills for the Trowshu group.

The team also has pacers Cruisin For You and another Minnesota-Sired mare- Trinitysfancyfilly, who picked up this year’s first Aces win for the group on Thursday night (May 20) with a gate-to-wire 1:56.3 score from post seven.

It was the third win on the season for Trinity. All three partners shared withthis reporter that one of the biggest surprises for them was how much they have come to enjoy the time they spend on the backside of the track, Trnka stated “We are still just a bunch of Grandstand Goofs who enjoy the sport, Probably the biggest thing that surprised us all is how much we actually enjoy just spending time with the horses and the people on the backstretch .. for us, it is more about that than winning or the money.” Trowshu Racing has definitely found a winning formula for fun at Running Aces.

For full race results, click here.

By Darin Gagne, for Running Aces