George Sholty

George Sholty
Personal information
BornGeorge Franklin Sholty
(1932-11-02)November 2, 1932
Logansport, Indiana, U.S.
DiedDecember 14, 2000(2000-12-14) (aged 68)
Lexington, Kentucky, U.S.
Occupations
  • Harness racing driver
  • horse trainer
Years active1950–1998
Horse racing career
SportHarness racing
Career winnings$20,777,666[1]
Career wins2,934[1]
Major racing wins
American Trotting Classic (1961)
Yonkers Trot (1966)
Messenger Stakes (1966)
Little Brown Jug (1966), 1992)
Little Brown Jugette (1978, 1986)
Pacing Triple Crown (1966)
Yonkers Trot (1966)
Adios Pace (1968)
Prix d'Été (1970)
Old Oaken Bucket (1972)
Dexter Cup (1972)
Bronx Filly Pace (1978)
Colonial Trot (1978)
Meadowlands Pace (1979)
Hambletonian Stakes (1979)
Walnut Hall Cup (1983)
Breeders Crown 2YO Filly Trot (1984)
Breeders Crown 3YO Filly Trot (1987)
Hambletonian Oaks (1987)
Breeders Crown Open Mare Trot (1988)
Honors
United States Harness Racing Hall of Fame (1985)
Significant horses
Romeo Hanover

George Sholty (November 2, 1932 – December 14, 2000) was an American harness racing driver and horse trainer.

Early life and education

George Franklin Sholty was born in Logansport, Indiana, United States, in 1932.[2]

He was the son of Ruth Packard and George Sholty.[3] He grew up in a harness racing family, with his grandfather, father, and great-uncle all active in the sport.[4]

He stood 5 feet 2 inches high and played basketball in his youth as a guard and the co-captain of the county champion team.[4] He graduated from Washington Township High School in Logansport.[5]

Career

His uncle gifted him a trotter named George Jr. in 1950 when he was 17. He began racing at Logansport, with his first success coming in 1951.[4] That year at 18 years old, he won his first harness race with George Jr. at the Clinton County Fairgrounds track in Frankfort, Indiana.[6]

During his first seven years as a reinsman, Sholty recorded only 26 victories and earned less than $16,000 in purses.[4] He worked under Gene Sears as second trainer and travelled with the stable across the regional racing circuit.[6]

In the summer of 1957, while working his second season under Tommy Winn, Sholty earned his first chance to compete at a major track. Driving for Tommy Winn and as a catch-driver, he recorded 40 victories. Entering the 1958 season, he established his own stable and led all drivers nationally with a .383 winning percentage.[6]

After competing in Indiana, he eventually earned a role as second trainer in Chicago. Impressed with Sholty's handling, retired investor Faye Ross funded the $20,000 purchase of Air Record and gave Sholty a 50 percent share as incentive. He drove the mare from 1960 through 1962, winning $265,439.[7]

While racing on the East Coast of the United States in the 1960s, he established himself as a top reinsman with repeated driving titles at Yonkers Raceway and Roosevelt Raceway.[1] In December 1965, he recorded his 1,000th career win.[4] During his 1966 season with Romeo Hanover, Sholty became the third driver to complete the Pacing Triple Crown.[8] By the end of that year, he had become the seventh driver ever to earn over $4 million in career purses.[4]

He later trained and drove Rivaltime, a two-year-old pacer purchased for $20,000 as a yearling. The colt raced for Warrior Stable and Septimus Farm and was partly owned by Wilt Chamberlain. In May 1964, a 2:05 victory at Liberty Bell Park Racetrack brought Sholty and Chamberlain together in the winner's circle.[9] At the Old Glory Standardbred Sales at Yonkers Raceway in October 1967, he purchased Rivaltime, then five years old, for $40,000.[10]

He campaigned Florida Pro for Al Lippe of Great Neck as both trainer and regular driver, winning nine of the colt's 13 starts at age two.[11] In the 1978 Hambletonian Stakes, he guided Florida Pro to victory in the second heat against Speedy Somolli, but was defeated in the third and deciding heat.[12]

He won the 54th Hambletonian Stakes in straight heats with Legend Hanover in 1979.[2] It was his first Hambletonian victory.

He joined Castleton Farm in 1984 as its contract trainer and driver.[13] Sholty trained and drove Conifer who won the Breeders Crown 2-year-old filly trot in 1984.[2] He also trained and piloted Gentle Stroke to a heat win in the 1984 Hambletonian Stakes.[2]

On July 29, 1985, he guided Express Ride to win his first million-dollar race, the Peter Haughton Memorial.[2] Sholty prepared Express Ride for the 1985 Breeders Crown at The Meadowlands in his final major race as Castleton Farm's contract trainer, while John Campbell served as driver.[14] By October 1985, he had resigned from Castleton Farm and was replaced by Dan Shetler.[15]

While working for the Armstrong Brothers, he drove and trained Armbro Fling, a daughter of Speedy Crown. He guided the trotter to victory in the 1987 Breeders Crown Three-Year-Old Filly Trot.[16]

He captured his second win in the Little Brown Jug as trainer of Fake Left on September 24, 1992.[17]

The veteran driver-trainer retired in 1998 at the age of 66 after compiling 2,934 career wins and over $20 million in purses.[2]

Death

George Sholty died on December 14, 2000, in Lexington, Kentucky, United States, at 68.[2]

Legacy

Sholty became the 34th inductee to the United States Harness Racing Hall of Fame in 1985.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Horse Racing – Harness racing driver Sholty dies". espn.com. Retrieved 2026-05-25.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "GEORGE SHOLTY". harnessmuseum.com. Retrieved April 19, 2026.
  3. ^ Grosvenor, Jeannette (1973). Descendants of Nathan E. Grosvenor and Laura Fuller, 1794–1973 (with His Ancestry), Removed from Mansfield, Conn. to Claridon, O. in 1854/55. Baker Print. Company. Retrieved 2026-05-27.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "Pint-Sized George Sholty Does Giant-Sized Job in Sulky". The Jersey Journal. January 5, 1967. p. 4. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
  5. ^ "Hoosier George Sholty Is A Giant In Sulky". The Noblesville Ledger. August 25, 1976. p. 16. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
  6. ^ a b c "George Sholty Having Big Year In Harness Racing At Eastern Track". The Pharos-Tribune. May 27, 1962. p. 10. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
  7. ^ Beahon, George (August 13, 1965). "A Long Way Back. . . To the Dime Store". Democrat and Chronicle. p. 29. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
  8. ^ "Harness driver Sholty dead at 68". upi.com. 2000-12-15. Retrieved 2026-05-25.
  9. ^ "The 'Stilt' Joins Jack On Track". The Herald Statesman. June 2, 1964. p. 30. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
  10. ^ "YR Sales: Records Set, Sholty Acquires Rivaltime". The Herald Statesman. October 12, 1967. p. 26. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
  11. ^ Bradley, John (1997). Modern Trotting Sire Lines. The Russell Meerdink Company Ltd. p. 116. ISBN 978-0-929346-47-2. Retrieved 2026-05-27.
  12. ^ Hoffman, Dean A. (2001). Quest for Excellence: Hanover Shoe Farms' First 75 Years. The Russell Meerdink Company Ltd. p. 151. ISBN 978-0-929346-74-8. Retrieved 2026-05-27.
  13. ^ "1984 Red Mile Lexington GEORGE SHOLTY-John Henderson". youtube.com. 2024-03-06. Retrieved 2026-05-25.
  14. ^ "Express Ride". hambletonian.com. 2019-06-20. Retrieved 2026-05-30.
  15. ^ Tribune, Chicago (1985-10-10). "CHICAGO TRAINER LANDS `ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME` JOB". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2026-05-30.
  16. ^ "2020 Breeders Crown Media Guide". hambletonian.com. 2025-10-24. Retrieved 2026-05-25.
  17. ^ "'Horses a constant' for Hall of Famer". Lexington Herald-Leader. December 16, 2000. p. 44. Retrieved May 27, 2026.

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