Chalmers family building a harness racing legacy

By Jordan Gerrans

The Chalmers surname has become a familiar sight in Queensland harness racing form guides in 2026, with rookie trainer Ashleigh Chalmers convinced bigger and better things lie ahead for the family's growing racing operation.

Ashleigh’s teenage daughter Holly works for leading trainer Graham Dwyer and made her debut as a driver earlier this year.

Through Holly’s passion for the caper, Ashleigh has taken out her own training licence with a few horses in work at Marburg.

Holly celebrated her maiden driving success last Wednesday before helping her mum score her first training winner two days later when she steered Kingsbury to victory at Redcliffe.

With Holly having two younger sisters who are horse enthusiasts coming through the Mini Trotting ranks, the 35-year-old Ashleigh can see a few more Chalmers drivers and trainers in the near future.

“Skye and Savannah, they'll definitely progress on into their stablehand, trackwork driving and trial drives and we'll see how it goes from there,” Ashleigh said.

“Savannah, I think definitely she's very keen. Everyone that knows her knows how much of a diehard she is.

“They've been heavily involved in the Mini Trotting, like Holly was, and we've been all over the country in events like the Inter Dominion and Miracle Mile.

“We've still got a team of five mini trotters.”

The 16-year-old Holly was a standout in the Mini Trotting ranks and won several feature events before graduating to the next level.

Ashleigh and her husband Chris have a broad range of experience across the racing landscape, which led to their daughter’s keen interest in the sport.

Ashleigh and Chris have both worked across harness and the thoroughbred industries, including gaining knowledge at racing stables, as well as stud farms, including Glenlogan Park stud in the Sunshine State.

Based at Prenzlau, the Chalmers family have a few horses in work, with many of their pacers previously prepared by Dwyer.

With Holly’s interest in harness racing growing in recent times, Ashleigh opted to take on a few horses of her own.

“Graham and Marty Dwyer, we have been really good friends with them for a long time,” Ashleigh said.

“Marty's been my best friend for a few years. It was time for me to take on my own team, so we had some more horses for Holly to drive.

“Holly was getting older and wanting to move up into the big horses.

“It just seemed like a natural progression that I moved on to the big horses too, so she had a few more to drive each week.”

Ashleigh's maiden winner on Friday evening, Kingsbury, certainly falls into that category.

Kingsbury is owned by Marty Dwyer, Graham’s wife, and was previously prepared by Graham before he transferred over to Ashleigh’s training stable earlier this year.

The gelding broke through at his 14^th attempt for Ashleigh in a tight finish over 1780 metres at Redcliffe.

For Holly to be in the sulky for the special result, it was a day the Chalmers family won't forget anytime soon.

“It was fantastic,” Ashleigh said.

“It was so good to see how proud Holly was of the horse because he's very special to her.

“He's got a lot of sentimental value to everyone. Holly had really been chasing a win on him. She's been trying to get a winner on him for a few weeks.

“She wanted him to be her first. So, it was good that she finally got there. It meant a lot to her and it meant a lot to me too, obviously.

“It was lovely for her to get a win on Kingsbury on Friday night, actually, because he's her favourite of all her favourites.”

Having broken through aboard Mister Delwin for mentor Graham Dwyer just two nights earlier, Holly was delighted to complete the family double.

“Mum’s horse had been racing well and finishing off good and Marty (Dwyer) owns him,” Holly said.

“I wouldn’t say Kingsbury’s win was unexpected, but it was still really good to get it. Everyone was pretty excited.”

Holly had been chasing her breakthrough winner since April of this year.

Ashleigh has watched her daughter on with pride in the months since, just as she may in the coming years with her two other harness-keen daughters.

“She's fantastic, her dedication to the sport and the horses, foremost, is second to none,” the proud Mum said.

“The horses come first and that's what it's all about for her. She's first at the stables every morning and she's at the races till late at night.

“It's all about the horses, she's just dedicated. She works very, very hard and I'm very proud of her. She's having a very good go and she's been given some fantastic opportunities.

"She's had some fantastic opportunities and I'm very grateful to everyone who has supported her. 

"The momentum builds with every opportunity and every winner, but the kids still have to apply themselves. If they put the work in, those opportunities will keep coming."