by Chris Lomon

Ryan Berry will remember his first driving win, one that was most unexpected, for a long time.

Ten days before Christmas, the 38-year-old horseman from Oxford, ME, was at Cumberland Raceway, ready to send out a pair of pacers, Easteriffic, and Juneparker, in the fourth and fifth race, respectively.

That he knew.

What he wasn’t aware of was that by the time he headed home from the half-mile oval, he would experience a career first.

Leading up to the third race, a Maine Amateur Driving Club pace with a purse of $5,714, one of the horses was without a driver.

Then, came an offer for Berry.

“It was kind of lucky, I guess you could say, that I was able to get the drive,” Berry said.

When asked if he would take the reins of JK Lucky Charms for the eight-horse dash, the 35-year-old quickly accepted.

His only instruction from the horse’s trainer was to get to the front early.

If he could manage that, the 7-year-old gelding might make every pole a winning one.

“The big thing was to put him on top,” Berry said. “The trainer said, ‘If you get him there, he should be able to do the rest from there.’”

With mission in mind, Berry put the bay’s nose on the gate — from post 2 — and waited for the starter car to pick up speed.

The pair blasted to the lead and found themselves on top by 1¼ lengths through an opening panel in :28.2. After their advantage dwindled to a quarter-of-a-length after a half in :59.4, Berry and JK Lucky Charms were 2¼ lengths clear of their closest pursuer through three-quarters in 1:28.3.

And that’s when it hit Berry.

“It was kind of like a dream – this is actually going to happen,” he said. “I got around the last turn and I couldn’t hear anyone coming and I couldn’t see anyone coming. It was a good feeling.”

JK Lucky Charms crossed the line 7¼ lengths ahead of his nearest rival, pacing the mile in 1:59.2.

Trained by Allison MacDonald for owner Amy Weeks, the son of Sweet Lou—Bet On Luck earned his ninth win on the campaign. He paid $12.60 for the victory.

One race later, Berry watched his Juneparker, with Nic Graffam in the sulky, take the lion’s share of the $8,571 purse.

“It was a night I won’t ever forget,” Berry said. “My phone never stopped going off after the driving win. Between messages on Facebook, people calling or texting, it was great. I am grateful for all the support.”

That long list includes Cassi Martin.

“I probably wouldn’t be driving as much as I have this year if it wasn’t for Cassi, who owns a riding farm, Life’s a Ride, that I help out at,” Berry said. “All the girls who ride there have been encouraging me to drive more.

“Initially, I got my driving license so that if one of the horses I train got stuck with a bad post or needed a certain trip, I could be the one to drive.”

While those scenarios didn’t come to be, Berry soon discovered the more he drove, the more he enjoyed it.

After a combined nine drives over 2022 and 2023, that number grew to 17 in 2024.

“I got more confidence this past year and that made it even more enjoyable to drive,” he said.

Berry also had a big year in his training role, one that began in 2010.

He posted 23 wins — four short of tying his personal-best mark — and recorded a career-high $158,766 in purse earnings.

“I was proud to get that first driving win and the closing week at Cumberland was very good to me – we ended the year with a bang,” Berry said. “We won three races over the last three cards, and I had another driving win [Velocity Sub Z, on Dec. 22].”

Beyond the successes of his stable, Berry learned some valuable lessons along the way.

“You learn that you have to take the good with the bad,” he said. “It takes some time to grasp that, but it’s important to understand it. One race, you can be on a real high and the next race, you can feel very low.

“One of my favorite horses, Spaghetti Eddie, was pulled up in a race at Cumberland and we had to put him down. That was tough. You love the horses, so when that happens, it’s very tough to take. You just have to find a way forward.”

Which is precisely what Berry has done.

With a new standardbred season on the horizon this spring, the horseman will tend to his four racing mares and two other racehorses over the winter and prep them for their upcoming campaigns.

One of his stable stars is a veteran campaigner, a trotter with 301 career starts to his name.

Warrawee Preferred, a son of Federal Flex (ON) —Warrawee Kate, has been under the tutelage of Berry since April 2022.

The hard-knocking bay gelding, bred at Warrawee Farm in Rockwood, ON, has nearly $380,000 in career purse earnings.

For Berry, the horse, who he also owns, is a source of inspiration.

“He got hurt near the end of the year, but I just started jogging him,” he said. “He tries every time. It doesn’t matter if he has a tough post or what the odds say, he is always trying. Those are the ones who always pull through for you.”

Berry will also work on a game plan for himself.

“I would like to drive some more and get better at it,” he said. “I would like to get some higher-class horses to train and maybe travel with them. I mainly race on the Maine circuit, so to expand that would be nice. I also got a new owner at the end of the year. They gave me a horse, so hopefully, everything takes off in 2025.”

Outside of the barn life, Berry opts for another type of horsepower to fuel his competitive side.

“My brother races stock cars, so I try to be there every Saturday night for him, to support him,” Berry said. “It’s a nice way to take my mind off racing for a little while. But I still like that rush of adrenaline you get from watching others compete.”

In a few months’ time, Berry will be back on track, literally, looking to build off a strong 2024.

At some point, he will recall the words of advice he was given when he started out.

“I can’t remember who told me, but someone said that if I put in the work and put in the time, the horses will typically pan out in the end,” he said.

Even the ones Berry never expected to sit behind.