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Garry Martin (left) and Sue Stockwell (right) have rewritten the book on racing on a budget, and showing a profit.\u00a0 (Photo provided by OHHA)<\/p>\n
By Bob Roberts for Press Pros Magazine<\/p>\n
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Grove City, OH \u2013 Teamwork. It\u2019s the key to many success stories.<\/p>\n
Lewis and Clark\u2013they partnered to map the way to the American West. Lennon and McCartney\u2013 perhaps the greatest song writing duo ever. Ben and Jerry\u2013they continue to tempt us with their ice cream flavors.<\/p>\n
Say who?<\/p>\n Sue Stockwell and Garry Martin have been putting their heads together for nearly 45 years as one of Ohio\u2019s most successful owner-trainer combinations competing at the state\u2019s four commercial harness tracks as well as dozens of Buckeye county fair ovals.<\/p>\n Most days, you\u2019ll find them in the northeast corner of the state at Grand Haven Stable in Jefferson, tending to an absolutely spotless 40-stall barn full of trotters and pacers on 17 acres. It\u2019s the headquarters for where they plot their next pari-mutuel moves as well as sales ring purchases.<\/p>\n Stockwell, 64, grew up on a dairy farm in Geneva. She said she always had horses as a youngster and member of 4-H but didn\u2019t get into standardbred racing until around 1980 when she became an owner and a trainer.<\/p>\n \u201cMy dad, the dairy farmer, wasn\u2019t sold on the idea,\u201d said Stockwell. \u201cHe said, \u2018If you can\u2019t eat them or milk them, you don\u2019t need them.\u201d<\/p>\n Martin, 69, born in Medina, said he was exposed to racing as a youngster.<\/p>\n \u201cMy dad was a $2 bettor, and we went to Northfield Park all the time. I practically grew up there,\u201d said Martin. \u201cThere was no racing in my family. My dad owned a tool and die company. It was at the Medina County Fair where I fell in love with the sport.\u201d<\/p>\n Neither Stockwell nor Martin can pinpoint when they first met, but they agree it was probably at a county fair somewhere in Ohio. Eventually, a partnership was formed, and ever since, they\u2019ve been visiting winner\u2019s circles and cashing purse checks on a regular basis.<\/p>\n What makes them unique is how frequently they discover horses that out-pace (and out-trot) their purchase prices.<\/p>\n Following is a roster of horses currently racing that Stockwell and Martin scouted, scored, and sent to the post. Logan Services, in Dayton, Cincinnati, and Columbus proudly sponsors your favorite sports on Press Pros Magazine.com.<\/p>\n Putting pencil to pad, Stockwell and Martin have invested $38,200 for the half-dozen trotters and pacers. They have cashed purse checks totaling $755,892.<\/p>\n \u201cI think we\u2019re going to rename this place the Bargain Basement Farm,\u201d said Martin.<\/p>\n The method behind their remarkable equine magic is good old hard work. Both of them pore over sales catalogs and share opinions. Then Martin heads for the sales ring.<\/p>\n \u201cWe both can\u2019t go,\u201d said Stockwell. \u201cOne of us has to stay back at the farm and get things done.<\/p>\n Martin usually doesn\u2019t raise his hand to bid on a horse if the asking price climbs into the clouds.<\/p>\n Read about OHHA racing, horses, and drivers each week, exclusively on Press Pros Magazine.com.<\/p>\n \u201cWe buy on a budget,\u201d said Stockwell. \u201cWith a few exceptions, we\u2019re usually in the range of $5,000 to $10,000.\u201d<\/p>\n Martin is quick to remind that every horse they purchase doesn\u2019t wear out a path to the winner\u2019s circle. Some never reach it.<\/p>\n \u201cWe once gave $30,000 for a horse,\u201d said Martin. \u201cHe was slow in his training. Turns out he had a heart murmur and never raced.\u201d<\/p>\n Stockwell and Martin beat the sun to the barn each morning. They\u2019re usually training and jogging horses by 5:30 a.m. They do it seven days a week.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve been successful, but it seems there is little time to enjoy it,\u201d said Martin. \u201cSometimes I have to tell Sue to relax and spend some money. Go ahead, get that big steak at dinner.\u201d<\/p>\n The most outstanding bread winner is Global Girl. Queen of the Stockwell-Martin operation, the 5-year-old trotting machine finished second and third in Ohio Sire Stakes championship races in addition to winning a qualifying leg.<\/p>\n \u201cSue asked me about her sire, Global Republic and I told her that he was a son of Muscle Hill and that Global Girl was part of his first crop,\u201d said Martin. \u201cI also said that any sire that is by Muscle Hill needs to be looked at. There were seven of them at the [2020 Buckeye Classic in Springfield] and she was best bred on the dam\u2019s side and the best looking one. She has definitely been the biggest bang for the buck that we\u2019d purchased.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s the best I\u2019ve ever owned,\u201d said Stockwell. \u201cSee that Dodge Ram pick-up truck? Global Girl bought that for me.\u201d<\/p>\n Stockwell and Martin said they will probably retire Global Girl at the end of the 2025 racing season and breed her.<\/p>\n Another female trotter who continues to grind out a living at the fairs and raceways for the dynamic duo is Hitwiththeguy\u2019s. She was the ultimate hidden gem.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/OhioHorseJobs_sidebar031025.jpg\")
<\/a>Then there is Stockwell and Martin.<\/p>\n
Global Girl, 5-year-old trotting mare cost $6,500 at auction. She has won 26 races and $347,429.
Hitwiththeguy\u2019s, 6-year-old trotting mare cost $3,500. She has won 28 races and $192,986.
The Onyx Dragon, 3-year-old pacing gelding cost $2,500. He has won 10 races and $110,106.
Stride For Stride, 2-year-old pacing filly cost $14,000. She has won four races and $65,333.
Draco\u2019s Storm, 3-year-old pacing gelding cost $6,200. He has won seven races and $41,522.
Jasmines Diamond, 2-year-old trotting filly cost $5,500. She has won nine races and $25,575.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Logan_inset070125.jpg\")
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There are interesting stories behind the aforementioned six horses in the stable that are winning and creating a steady stream of purse checks.<\/p>\n
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