‘It’s addictive’
June 7, 2017,by Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications
Delaware, OH — When Mark Davis was named the acting executive director of the Delaware Harness Racing Commission several years ago, he figured it was a temporary assignment not unlike other interim positions he held during his time as the Delaware Department of Agriculture’s deputy principal assistant and policy advisor.
But after a nationwide search, it was determined the best person for the job was the person already there. Temporary became permanent.
USTA/Mark Hall photo
Mark Davis had jogged a horse prior to attending the school, but was happy to get multiple opportunities at the fairgrounds.
In the ensuing years, Davis has sought to learn as much as possible about all aspects of the sport, which is why he was jogging horses and cleaning stalls last week at the Delaware County Fairgrounds in central Ohio.
Davis was one of 20 participants at the 18th annual U.S. Trotting Association Driving School, a three-day program that offered work at fairgrounds-based stables each morning followed by “classroom” sessions with trainers, drivers, veterinarians, nutritionists, and others.
“I’m just trying to learn more,” Davis said. “I’ve never seen this side of the sport up close. That’s why I thought it was important to come. The class is awesome. It’s good to hear other perspectives. I’ve enjoyed it a lot.”
Davis had jogged a horse prior to attending the school, but was happy to get multiple opportunities at the fairgrounds, which is the home of the Little Brown Jug.
“That was great,” Davis said. “It’s a lot of fun. It’s addictive. Agriculture is like that in general. The horsemen are like other farmers; poultry farmers, crop farmers. It’s in their blood and there’s nothing else they want to do. They’re fiercely independent, good, hard-working people. That’s the same throughout agriculture.”
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Craig Schmidt may have retired and moved to his home in Florida, but he’s still getting up every morning at 7:30 for his new hobby, harness racing. He owns a 2-year-old pacer stabled near Pompano Park and wants take a more hands-on approach to ownership.
Opportunity struck when Schmidt saw an advertisement for the USTA Driving School in a track program and decided it would be a great learning experience for him.
“I’m trying to figure out how to help my trainer train my horse so I can be more involved,” Schmidt said. “He’s really nice and will let me help and do anything I want really, but I sometimes feel like I’m just getting in the way.
“I really want to be able to jog a horse. I also really want to be able to understand everything that goes on behind the scenes.”
Schmidt was happy with the knowledge he gained to take back to the stable.
“The best thing I’ve learned here is the barn work and washing the horses down,” he said. “I’ve already heard and learned a lot, just while working in the barn area and trotting.”
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After serving in the Navy for eight years, Logan Hawkins recently moved from Hawaii to Lexington, Ky., all because of horse racing. He was first interested in Thoroughbred racing, but quickly switched to harness racing after going to the races at Red Mile.
“It just kind of happened that I got into harness racing,” said Hawkins, who works in construction. “I just really enjoy it and the fact that I might be able to drive and not have to weigh 110 pounds to do it.”
Hawkins does not currently own any horses, but he does have his owner’s license and an aspiration to do more.
“This Driving School is a great way to get my foot in the door,” Hawkins said. “I want to get my driver’s license and eventually become a trainer.”
As for the school, Hawkins said that although shoveling stalls has not been his favorite part, he appreciated the experience and was excited to drive.
“It’s been fun jogging,” he said. “I’m ready to go faster though.”
— Haley Clinker contributed to this story
- USTA Driving School opens in Delaware (Thursday, June 01, 2017)
When he was a young child, around the age of 4 or 5, Pep Moretti sat down with some crayons and began to create his own harness racing driving colors. Now, three decades later, he hopes to begin on a path to put his design to use. Moretti, a police officer from Illinois, is among the 20 participants in the 18th annual U.S. Trotting Association Driving School, which got underway Wednesday (May 31) at the Delaware County Fairgrounds in central Ohio with a welcome dinner and keynote address from Bob Boni, the founder and president of Northwood Bloodstock Agency and co-owner of 2016 Horse of the Year Always B Miki.
- April Gustafson is hooked on horses (Friday, June 02, 2017)
After moving to Kentucky from Texas, April Gustafson saw her Amish neighbors driving around with horses she didn’t recognize. The horses were Standardbreds and Gustafson, who showed horses 20 years ago, was intrigued. After convincing her neighbors to give her a ride, and later to let her jog some of the horses, she was hooked. Gustafson, who is a logistics officer fulltime in the U.S. Army Reserve at Fort Knox, and her husband bought shares of a half dozen racehorses last year. Now Gustafson, after saving up enough leave, is at the U.S. Trotting Association’s Driving School to continue learning about the breed and racing.
- Owners get hands on at USTA Driving School (Monday, June 05, 2017)
Bobby Dubovec enjoys watching his horses race, but he discovered something even better while attending the U.S. Trotting Association’s Driving School. “There’s nothing cooler than taking your own horse out there,” said Dubovec, a horse owner from Indiana, who got to jog and work with 2-year-old pacer McPlay Boy, a gelding he co-owns with trainer Ron Potter and Claude Barclay.