HOT SPRINGS - Paul Holthus has continually driven this point home during the 2014 Oaklawn Park meeting.

He hasn’t forgotten how to train a horse.

Holthus, 52, has resurfaced from a hiatus of nearly two decades to become one of the leading trainers this season at Oaklawn, with nine victories from just 26 starts.

Maybe no trainer has done more with less than Holthus, who has compiled his sparkling resume with only a half-dozen or so horses, mostly claimers.

“You’re always happy to be doing as good as you can, but it doesn’t surprise me that I’m successful,” Holthus said. “I’ve been working hard and putting a lot of effort into it, so I expect rewards. Obviously, you never expect to win as many as I’ve won. But I expect them to run well.”

Holthus, who grew up in Hot Springs, quit training during the 1995 Oaklawn meeting to become the agent for jockey Garrett Gomez, at that time one of the most promising young riders in the country.

Before switching gears, Holthus, the son of the late Bob Holthus, Oaklawn’s all-time leading trainer, had saddled 379 winners after going out on his own in 1980.

“Growing up, all I ever wanted to do was be a horse trainer,” said Holthus, who came up under his father. “That’s what I thought I was going to do all my life. I was pretty successful at it, but I thought I had an opportunity to take Gomez to the next level.”

Holthus said he made a living as an agent but never enjoyed “hustling book” particularly because he didn’t have a direct hand in the outcome of a race.

“At least training, I’m responsible for the way my horses run,” Holthus said.

Holthus represented Gomez for only a few months before the jockey quit riding, one of many speed bumps in his star-crossed career.

Holthus later represented Aaron Gryder, Mickey Walls and Larry Melancon before choosing another career path around 2000, this time with H.E. “Tex” Sutton Forwarding Company, the noted equine air transporter headquartered in Lexington, Ky.

Holthus spent eight years with Tex Sutton, rising to vice president and general manager, before leaving the company and returning to Hot Springs.

Holthus remained in Hot Springs the next few years, working for Wheeler Printing Co., which has had a long association with Oaklawn.

Holthus, however, couldn’t shake his roots. He began representing jockeys again at the 2012 Oaklawn meeting (Jose Medina and Carlos Gonzalez) and booked mounts for Eddie Martin Jr. last year in Hot Springs.

Holthus began laying the groundwork for a return to training by assisting Randy Morse after the completion of the 2012 and 2013 Oaklawn meetings.

“I missed it,” Holthus said.

Last fall, Holthus began pointing for a comeback at the 2014 Oaklawn meeting by building a small stable.

He privately purchased Lasting Impact from trainer Mark Hennig, and Morse, on behalf of Holthus’ future wife, Nancy Ury, claimed Signature Event for $5,000 on Nov. 17 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.

Lasting Impact finished second in a Jan. 11 claiming race at Oaklawn, Holthus’ first starter since March 9, 1995. Signature Event’s Jan. 12 victory represented the first for Holthus since Feb. 24, 1995.

Both horses ran for the N P H Stable of Holthus and wife Nancy-Ury Holthus, a member of Oaklawn’s media relations department.

N P H’s most successful runner has been Franks Officer Gal, claimed out of a fifth-place finish Feb. 15 for $7,500. Holthus has saddled Franks Officer Gal to three consecutive victories, the last in starter-allowance company April 3.

“Anybody who grew up in the Hot Springs area knows that Paul knows horses,” Oaklawn director of racing David Longinotti said. “No question about that. It’s always good to have a Holthus with stalls at Oaklawn.”

Bob Holthus, an iconic figure in Oaklawn history, died following a heart attack in November 2011. He was 77. Holthus won nine Oaklawn training titles.

“I think he’d be proud of me,” Paul Holthus said. “Obviously, I paid a little attention to what was going on at some point.”

Sports, Pages 25 on 04/11/2014