Pat Ryder is taking a shot at his ‘dream job’

Parents don’t usually lean on their children for assistance until their golden years, but Pat Ryder has put a new spin on that. He’s getting help from his son, Harry, before he has even been born.

And yes, that requires an explanation.

The plan for Pat and his wife, Nadia Tarnawa, was that Pat would spend a year on the road with his dad, trainer Chris Ryder, before the couple would move to Colorado. They rented a place in Colorado Springs, where they would live until Nadia, a paralegal, graduated from college. Pat would look for a job in snowboarding — which he did with great success at the University of Vermont — while Nadia would consider going for her law degree.

“We got out there and got it all set up,” Ryder said. “And we were ready to move out there, but we never moved in.”

Two occurrences altered that plan. The first is that Nadia is now expecting, and baby Harry is due in November. The second is that Pat’s urge to be a driver, which always simmered beneath the surface when he grew up working at his dad’s stable, became a full-blown desire once he spent a year on the front lines and got to work with horses like Dan Patch Award winners Bettor’s Wish and Party Girl Hill.

“Along with me wanting to drive, we didn’t think it was the right time to go out to Colorado, start new jobs and have a new family to care for and all that,” Pat said.

“But,” he added with a laugh, “mainly it was because I wanted to drive. (Having the baby) kind of helped me make it sound a little more reasonable to stay.”

When it was suggested he’s already securing his son’s help before his arrival, Ryder said, “Yeah, and if I can make it as a driver he’s going to hear that story every week.”

Thus, Pat and Nadia are still in New Jersey and will close on a home in Chesterfield June 4. They will be living down the street from fellow driver and good friend Todd McCarthy, and minutes away from Chris Ryder’s stable at Winner’s Training Center.

And while he jokes about using Harry as a means to drive, Pat realizes the real reason he is getting a shot is due to Nadia’s support.

“I was just really loving working with my father, I thought I had a bit of an opportunity to maybe start driving a little bit,” the affable Ryder explained. “I kind of got hooked on that idea and I felt like I’d always be kicking myself for the rest of my life if I never gave it a shot.

“I talked to my wife and she said, ‘No problem.’ She’s been so supportive about it. She’s not from a horse background, she didn’t understand the madness of working 24-7, not getting paid that much, the madness of going on the road all the time. She’s starting to understand it all. She didn’t choose this and thought we were getting out of it, but she has been very supportive through it all.”

Ryder is one of those rare people who seems to truly appreciate good fortune and not take it for granted. In a 30-minute conversation, the 26-year-old constantly brought up positive role models he feels blessed to have in his life.

And while it’s much too early to tell if this is a better move than teaching Backside Air moves in the thin air of Colorado, Pat’s driving career got off to a nice start as he drove two of his dad’s horses to third-place finishes at Harrah’s Philadelphia in his first two starts May 12.

After qualifying some good horses at The Meadowlands, Ryder’s first drive came with Win Place’n Show at Philadelphia and was an experience he won’t soon forget.

“I’d been thinking about it for so long and dreaming about that day for so long, I think I kind of psyched myself out a little bit,” he said. “I was walking out to the track holding the lines instead of holding the horse’s head or handing the lines off to another driver. I was used to handing them off, but I was holding them and going out to drive the horse.

“I was so nervous walking out. Once I got settled in the bike and felt comfortable — not that I’ve done it nearly as much as anybody else — but your instinct kind of takes over and I settled right down. By the time I got behind the gate I felt totally comfortable and I wasn’t really nervous anymore. It was absolutely incredible. The fact everything worked out pretty good and just the thrill of it was just . . . I can’t even explain it.”

He didn’t have to. The McCarthy brothers, who were in the same race, explained it for him.

“I pulled up and Andy McCarthy said, ‘How’d you like it?’ and Todd looked over at him, and he said, ‘He freakin’ loved it, look at his face!’” Pat recalled. “It was really great.”

In his second race, behind Barrage Hanover, Ryder was more relaxed and got instructions from his dad, who is full owner of the horse. Pat was told to leave early, which he did, getting the lead prior to the halfway point.

“Coming around the last turn for home, for a second he gave me a real jolt of speed,” Pat said. “I couldn’t hear many footsteps and I thought, oh damn, I’m going to win this thing. For a second I thought maybe I had it in the bag. I honestly couldn’t believe it. Then I heard footsteps coming and knew it was too good to be true.”

His third race came this past Sunday, when Barrage Hanover finished eighth, “but steered much better with some new rigging. You take the good with the bad.”

The result hardly dismayed Ryder, who is now doing what he loves.

His education came from one of the best, as dad Chris has won more than 1,600 races and $44 million in purses in his career as a trainer. Ryder, who is referred to as Patrick by his family but prefers Pat, served as a groom for a while but enjoyed sitting behind a horse more. He decided he was just taking up space in the barn and wanted to be on the track.

“I’ve always had that instinct to drive,” Ryder said. “I’ve thought about it a long, long time. All the years I’ve worked at the barn, taking care of horses and training them, I always dreamed of driving.

“I’ve been so blessed to be surrounded by great people who have helped me. My father being the most wonderful father. I think the world of him the way he is with horses. I learn something new every single day from him when I go to the barn. I always have, ever since I’ve been little. Last year, going on the road with him and all those amazing horses was absolutely incredible. It was humbling how they would race and how wonderful everyone was.”

That’s just the top of a long list of Ryder’s positive influences. He praises his mom, Nicola, who much like Nadia, did not initially know about the rigors of harness racing but now uses her brilliant accounting background to help out.

“She has been so supportive of my dad,” Pat said. “And she has handled a lot of our stable’s business. To have people like her and my wife, it brings it to a whole other level and makes things so much better.”

And then there is retired driver Ron Pierce, who Ryder considers a second father.

“He was my idol growing up,” Pat said. “His two sons, Jesse and Keith, and Jeb Cohen were my best friends growing up. Ronnie would take me hunting and fishing and really got me hooked on the outdoors. He talked to me about driving from a really young age. He’d tell me stories about what you had to do.

“I always really looked up to him. We’d be at the track watching him drive and rooting for Ronnie and my father’s horses. He was really my colleague and my mentor growing up. He played a big part in shaping who I am and helped give me love for driving and loving the horses, along with my dad.”

Ryder also praised the help he gets from the McCarthy brothers and Dexter Dunn, who share roots with his dad as they all came from Down Under.

“They’ve been very helpful to me with constructive criticism, and I told them ‘Look tell me exactly how it is, I need to know what I’m doing wrong,’” Ryder said. “Every week I have one or two qualifying races at The Meadowlands. I’ll sit down with them or we’ll be standing outside afterward, and they gave me so much helpful advice. Totally invaluable information.”

It is information that Pat ravenously digests in hopes of becoming a success at his dream job.

Just the fact he is able to take a shot makes him happy.

If only baby Harry knew how helpful he is already.