As the wings of the car drew away, the crowd buzzed with excitement. The field of 10 pacers thundered from their post positions, all vying for good position in the mile for C$1 million as the 42nd North America Cup commenced. The sophomores swung around the first turn. The inside path along the pylons was led by Madden Oaks, a 3-year-old Huntsville colt guided by 25-year-old Braxten Boyd for 25-year-old trainer Cameron Capone. The North America Cup was the team’s first chance at the big stage as they not only contended with the field of top-notch pacers, but with post 10 and 53-1 odds. Boyd and ‘Madden’ chased the car out and made a beeline to the top, leading his opponents through the opening quarter in 26. At the corner of their eye was Louprint and Ronnie Wrenn, Jr. Getting caught on the outside in the first turn, the pair continued progressing forward on the charge to take the lead. Donning the green number four and sharing odds as the bettors’ choice in the mile, the son of Sweet Lou is no stranger to the big stage. A winner of his elimination, the millionaire pacer has had a five-win streak of victories since his triumph in the Breeders Crown at The Meadowlands in October 2024. Wrenn, like Boyd, was taking the lines in his first N.A. Cup appearance. “Going into a race like that, I don’t think you can really figure the races out, you just kind of go in with a bunch of different game plans depending on what other horses decide to do off the gate. I thought maybe a couple other horses would leave from the outside, but it didn’t surprise me that Swingtown and Madden Oaks both left,” Ronnie Wrenn Jr. recalled on the start of the race. At the 53 1/5 half, Madden and Louprint met eye-to-eye and Louprint edged ahead to take command. “To be able to get the horse to the front just past the half, and be on the lead and trust that he’s a great horse, I was pretty happy,” said Wrenn. Settling in on the pylon path, Louprint stepped away, hitting the three-quarters in 1:19 1/5. Madden Oaks and Boyd were shuffled back to third. Down the stretch, the crowd cheered. Madden fought back and used Louprint’s drifting out to his advantage to sneak up the inside. The race became between the longshot and the favorite, between two Michigan-born and raised horsemen who were making their first start in the biggest race in Canada. “When we got to the three-quarters – 19 and a piece – at that point I knew we were going fast,” said Wrenn. “He still felt like he was pretty strong and had pace, but at that point, I was thinking about all the closers in the race, when are they coming at me, and I kept kind of glancing to the right and he drifted off the rail a little bit. Madden came up the rail and for like a second it surprised me because for that horse to leave out, get used hard and have a lot of pace finishing, I have to give a lot of credit to Braxten and Madden Oaks. He did a tremendous job getting that horse in position to win.” The camera flashed across the wire and the crowd fell silent. Who won? That was the question passed around the grandstand as the two horses crossed the finish line in unison. The video replay was broadcast on the big screen in the center of the track and the horse, and driver, donning a hint of green were the ones to cross first by a head in 1:47 1/5.  There was no question of who won between the drivers on the track, though. As soon as the timer was stopped, Braxten Boyd cheered, “That was for Hunter, baby!” Boyd and Wrenn exchanged congratulations and excitement while pulling their horses up in the turn before Wrenn embarked on the path to the winner’s circle. There’s no doubt that Wrenn’s mind was racing in the moments after the win and on the way to that winner’s circle celebration. The rush from the minute and 47 seconds of pure adrenaline on the track accompanied by the biggest win of his career carried more than the weight of that victory. In fact, the significance of the victory extended far beyond the track, beyond purses and trophies. Carrying more than lines in his hands, Wrenn carried a tribute on his arm and a memory in his heart. With every stride and every pulse, Hunter Myers was along for the ride as Wrenn carried him in his mind in addition to the green band strapped around his upper arm. Hunter Myers was a young up-and-coming driver at The Meadows and on the Ohio circuit. He was a runner-up in the 2024 USHWA Dan Patch Awards for the Rising Star Award and was well-loved and well-known for not only his skills on the track, but his personality and character. In March of this year, a race-related accident claimed the life of the 27-year-old at The Meadows, devastating the harness racing industry and leaving a lasting impact on all those who knew him, including Ronnie Wrenn, Jr. “He was obviously a great kid. I feel like he affected a lot of people in the industry that knew him and even people that didn’t know him or know him because of how tragic something like that is…someone getting in a horse racing accident and passing away in this business at such a young age,” Wrenn explained on his perspective of Myers and his impact on the business. “You know, he was the kind of kid that if he was in a group of people he could easily light up a room. “Everyone misses him. Mostly just because of the fact that he could do something [make people smile] that he didn’t really try to. It was just who he was. As a driver, he was continuing to climb to the top.” Myers and Wrenn didn’t know each other just on the track or in passing, the pair were neighbors and became good friends while carpooling to the track together. “Driving with him in the car, I live next to him, we raced the same circuit,” said Wrenn. “Deep down, he wanted to be a driver on the Grand Circuit or Sire Stakes, those kind of races, that was his main goal and I think he was going to reach it. He was already trending that way the last couple years. It’s unfortunate it’s not going to happen. If I can carry his name a little bit by wearing the patch and make sure people don’t forget who he was, I’m very proud and happy to do that.” Post position four that Louprint drew after winning his elimination carried a bit more significance than the typical “luck of the draw” impression. In addition to his initials on his pocket, the freshly painted helmet, and the band on his arm, Wrenn and Louprint were able to share in their Myers representation with the green saddle pad that outlines number four. Almost a hint of fate in that regard. “When the draw came out, I was watching with my wife and the first thing she said to me was, ‘look at the color of that number’ and you know, maybe it’s coincidence, maybe it’s not,” said Wrenn. “The fact that Louprint was heading down the stretch and kept going, I think it shows obviously he’s an amazing horse, but maybe Hunter had something to do with it, too. I’d like to think that. I’ve had a lot of people tell me that horses don’t just go that fast and be able to hold off the field, it’s pretty impressive.” Chloe, Hunter’s fiancée, echoed her enthusiasm for the victory on numerous social media posts, even declaring how proud Hunter would have been for Ronnie, a driver whom Hunter looked up to. “Chloe told me the stories when I won the Breeders Crown how excited he was, and the next day when I got home we would ride to the track together and he would talk about a horse that I drove the night before that he watched on his way home from his track that he was racing at,” said Wrenn. “It seemed like he was always checking in on me and it was pretty cool. I kind of felt like a mentor to him and it was kind of a brotherly relationship, so I mean, I was just very thankful to spend as much time as I did with Hunter while he was here.” On their drives to the tracks together, Myers and Wrenn had plenty of time to talk and Wrenn echoes a familiar statement that many people remember as Hunter’s catch phrase. “We’ve had a lot of great talks over the years. He loved saying, ‘God bless.’ God bless was his thing that he always said when he’d leave to go home. I can just picture him every time saying it in the locker room before he left,” said Wrenn. And while that phrase stands out above the rest, Wrenn said that his talks with Myers were about anything, everything or even nothing at all. “It was just more of the friendship we had. We could talk pretty easily without even really trying. We could sit in the car and shoot the s*** for hours. And we could also sit there and listen to the radio and not talk with each other. It just says a lot about the kid. He’s going to be missed,” said Wrenn. There’s no doubt Hunter Myers looked up to Ronnie Wrenn Jr. as a driver – as his mentor – and rightfully so as Wrenn has the positive mindset and character to drive him far, literally and figuratively. So, what advice does Wrenn have for the next generation? “When I first started, my schedule – when I finally wanted to be a catch driver – was I raced Hazel Park on a Friday, Saturday night for not a lot of money, got done racing at midnight. I would drive 10.5 hours, most of the time by myself, sleep a little bit in the afternoon, then race Running Aces Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday. Drive back to Michigan 10.5 hours, get some sleep, drive down to Lexington overnight – which I think the total card went for about 10 hours – then drive back home and race Hazel Park. I don’t know if it was the right thing to do or not; I just wanted to drive horses and get my name out there. I was trying to get some opportunity,” said Wrenn. “Then I was kind of forced to move to Northfield and make it work, and luckily it did. Any time somebody asked me to come and race a horse, I would do it, whether it was a good horse or bad. “So, for the younger generation, I would just say: don’t be scared to work hard or travel. Put your name out there, don’t be afraid to make mistakes – top drivers still make mistakes. They make mistakes every day driving horses. And just never give up.” On the same note as the younger generation, Wrenn found himself in that stretch drive for the win with one of those rapidly up-and-coming drivers in that generation, Braxten Boyd. “I used to drive for his dad. His dad used to announce in Michigan. I knew them, but I didn’t know him,” said Wrenn. “He’s quite a bit younger than me so I had already moved from Michigan to Ohio when he was still in school, then racing in Michigan a little bit I believe, and then made the decision to move out east. I know he’s doing pretty well for himself, he’s pretty young and to get an opportunity in a race like that at such a young age and have a horse that going into the race was maybe a little bit overlooked, have the courage to leave out of the 10 hole and get in a good position and have the horse respond to it, it’s pretty impressive. I think it says a lot about Braxten and hopefully the future holds some good opportunities for him. I think the way that horse raced, I’m sure we’ll be hearing a lot more about them.” Taking a moment to reflect on his own race and his future with Louprint, Wrenn says that he is simply an amazing horse and it was just a special moment. “It was pretty awesome. Kind of setting in now, but I’m looking forward to the next race now – the Meadowlands Pace. It was a great week and couldn’t have gone any better. “Ronnie [Burke] has given me a lot of opportunity to get on the Grand Circuit and then giving me the chance to drive this horse, trusting me and sticking with me throughout last year, he’s definitely my game changer. I’m really just trying to enjoy it. I guess I’m at the middle point in my career and I’ve been lucky to drive a lot of great horses whether overnights or Sire Stake horses, and for him to come along, and I think it’s pretty safe to say he’s probably the best horse, at least colt, that I’ve ever driven, and I’m just really looking forward to the rest of this summer.” While others can look up to Wrenn as an idol, he looks up to other drivers that he holds a lot of respect for on the track. After his win in the million-dollar race, Wrenn was met with congratulations on and off the track – in the winner’s circle, on the way back to the paddock, and in the paddock – all from drivers in and out of the race. “I would say almost all of the top guys are genuine people,” said Wrenn. “They all want to win, they are super competitive, they are great drivers, but after getting defeated, right after the race, their sportsmanship speaks volumes for all of them. They congratulate you. “To see [Tim Tetrick, Todd McCarthy, and Andy McCarthy] when I walked back…I respect all three of those guys so much. You know, first off, it’s surprising that those three weren’t in the race. I’m sure I’ll be battling against them in many big races the rest of the year, but just for them to take the time to come up and congratulate me was a special moment. Like I said, I respect all three of those guys. They’ve been there and done that. They’ve won all the big races. It was a pretty cool feeling, pretty special moment.” In addition to carrying a tribute to Hunter Myers on his journey through races from the overnights to the big stage, Wrenn holds in his mind a memory of his dad, who was a prominent driver in the ‘70s racing against the likes of John Campbell and other top drivers back in that day. “Anytime he gave me driving advice, I’d always try to take it in and listen to him,” said Wrenn. “I’d like to think that a lot of my success comes from his knowledge and passing it on to me. It’s been a long time, but I’m still thinking about him. I think about him all the time, but it’s really nice to be able to get the job done for both of them. It’s a pretty cool feeling. Pretty special.” ‘Special’ certainly defines the night for Wrenn, who started at the fair tracks and continued to grow from there with Louprint punching his ticket in the Grand Circuit. “Yeah, that was definitely a goal,” said Wrenn about reaching the Grand Circuit. “I think a lot of drivers have a goal to get to that point. But with that said, I love being a family person. And sometimes it’s really hard to tussle the two of them. It can be difficult because a lot of people are depending on you to be on a racetrack, but my kids are expecting me to be home, so I got to thank my wife for really stepping up. There’s a lot of nights I have to go to a track and she’s at home with three kids, running and being a full-time mom. “I think she helps with my success because it relaxes me knowing she’s at home taking care of the kids and everything other than just going to the track and trying to win the race.” Purses and final times, track records and names – those are the things that can be read on a program. Facts and figures. That’s the information needed to go into a race and do well. But it’s what you don’t see in the program – the stories of the people and the stories of the horses, the memories they hold and the impact they have – that carries a winner to the wire. Ronnie Wrenn Jr. went into the 42nd North America Cup with one race on his mind. He had the program with all the facts and figures. He knew the field and he knew his horse. But as he got ready in the driver’s room, he slid the green band over his arm – as he has done every day since March – with a purpose. The color green surrounded Wrenn as he demonstrated a powerful tribute to his friend on one of the greatest stages in harness racing. Chasing wins and chasing dreams are the highest goals in harness racing and Wrenn achieved that while also representing the greatest sportsmanship and horsemanship that harness racing has to offer. “God Bless” – Hunter Myers.