Mar 20, 2025 5 min read

By John Sacco

For the Observer-Reporter

newsroom@observer-reporter.com

Harness driver Mike Wilder found himself unconscious and prone on the racetrack, unseated violently from his horse during a three-horse accident at The Hollywood at the Casino Meadows track last June.

A horse, at least 1,000 pounds, was lying on Wilder’s legs.

Hunter Myers, who was involved in the accident, somehow stopped his horse, got out of his seat and helped to free his good friend Wilder from the horse, pulling him out from under the animal – perhaps helping to avoid further harm or worse.

That was the kind of guy Myers was. It’s why The Meadows community remains in disbelief today as it grieves the loss of Myers, 27, who died Thursday morning in a Pittsburgh hospital after suffering injuries in an accident the day before at the North Strabane Township harness racing track.

“He was a son to me; there’s nothing he wouldn’t do for me,” said Wilder, of Washington. “We were family. To me he went above and beyond what most humans would do. It has hit our community and the industry hard.

Myers, of Chagrin Falls, Ohio, was considered a rising star in the industry, driving mainly at The Meadows and Northfield Park near Cleveland. He is survived by a 5-month-old son, Hayden, and fiancée Chloe Fisher.

Myers started driving horses in 2014 while in high school at Williamsport, Ohio. He was recognized by the Ohio Chapter of the United States Harness Writers Association with its Peter Haughton Memorial Award. His first win was at Ohio’s Jackson County Fair, where he guided Uptown Dreamer to victory for his father, Michael, who survives.

Myers started working with horses full time after graduating in 2016. In 2024, a career-best season, Myers drove the Dan Patch Award-winning 3-year-old trotting filly Allegiant to one of her Grand Circuit victories, the Moni Maker at Scioto Downs. He also drove the filly to a 1:52.3 stakes record victory in the Currier & Ives at The Meadows.

He won more than 300 races in each of the last four years, including two seasons with more than 400 wins. His 455 victories in 2024 ranked ninth best among all drivers in North America, and his 464 wins in 2022 placed him seventh on the leaderboard.

Myers notched 2,450 races and had more than $23.8 million in purse earnings during his career. He ranked among the top 10 drivers in North America in 2022 and 2024.

Sally Parker Bolon has been part of the sport her entire life. While Myers’ death is not commonplace – it’s the first fatal from injuries suffered in the 62-year history of The Meadows – danger always exists.

“It was one of these things that happens that when you went to bed last night that you’d wake up the next morning and it was not reality,” the Washington woman said.

“There are not a lot of people who can say that they can get up every day and go do the job they love, and that is truly what the caretakers, the trainers and the drivers do. Hunter was so young. We knew he was a rising star in our sport and an extremely likable person – always joking and laughing. He has his head on right and would do anything for anybody.”

Bolon’s brother, Norm Parker, an owner and trainer at The Meadows, remembered Myers as a solid man who could be comical and always optimistic.

“I considered him a friend and business associate,” Parker said. “I’ve watched him grow and no matter win or lose with one of my horses, Hunter always said, ‘We’ll get them next week.”

Pastor Joe DiDonato, racetrack chaplain, was friends with Myers and stayed with his family Wednesday evening at the hospital. He and others will provide grief counseling services at the track Friday.

“Hunter was as upbeat of a guy you could ever meet,” DiDonato said.

Myers earned his way onto the North American harness racing scene in recent years. His accomplishment and prowess were known by the most revered in the industry.

“He gained publicity and prominence after I retired, so I really didn’t know Hunter,” said John Campbell, president of harness racing’s Hambletonian Society in Cranbury, N.J., and Hall of Fame driver. “I’ve been following him and I know how well he’d been doing. I know how quickly his upward trajectory has been.”

As the winningest driver in The Adios’ history, The Meadows was a special place for Campbell. He understands the culture and closeness among the horsemen.

“You know that sense of losing somebody close is accentuated at The Meadows because they still have a barn area and that’s unique today,” Campbell explained. “When you have a barn area, there’s a closeness. Even though everybody’s competing against everybody all the time, there is certainly a closeness and a camaraderie when you have that. We’ve lost that at most places throughout North America, but The Meadows still has that.

“Hunter was obviously special there. Closeness is in play there, and it’ll just be that much harder for all those people dealing with his loss. It will be more severe for them. I feel for Hunter’s family and The Meadows back-stretch community.”