Hightstown, NJ — Cody Poliseno set career highs for wins and purses in 2024 and got this year off in a special way — as the leading driver in North America. At least for several hours.
The 30-year-old Poliseno captured the first race of the 2025 harness racing season Wednesday (Jan. 1) when he guided Zipper Sweater to victory at odds of 35-1 at Bally’s Dover. The 7-year-old female pacer is owned and trained by Poliseno’s father, Carlo.
“It was a great experience; a good way to start off the year with a bang, especially with a horse that my father trains,” Poliseno said. “That made it even more sweet.
“I was the leading driver for a couple races, and my pop was leading trainer for a race too. It was a heck of a way to start the year, that’s for sure. You can’t beat that.”
Poliseno finished Wednesday with two wins in six drives. Tim Tetrick and Allan Davis ended the night with three wins apiece at Dover.
Last year, Poliseno set career bests with 53 victories and $848,059 in purses. In 2023, he won 45 times and had $805,235 in purses on his way to receiving the James T. Case Jr. Horizon Award at the Delaware Standardbred Owners Association’s awards banquet for a star on the rise on the Delaware circuit.
“I’m super appreciative for all the opportunities I got last year,” said Poliseno, who began driving regularly in 2022. “I just keep grinding, stay focused and show up every day. I’m excited for the year coming up.”
Among the highlights last year for Poliseno were winning a Virginia Breeders Fund Stakes final with 3-year-old male trotter Pretty Two and hitting the board with 2-year-old female trotter Kat’s Fancy (second) and 3-year-old male pacer LL Julio (third) in Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund finals.
“Purse wise, (the Virginia final) was the biggest race I won,” Poliseno said. “LL Julio is one of my favorite horses, so that might have been my best highlight. He’s got a great personality. He’s a cool horse. He’s like a big old dog, like a pet. He’ll follow you around, I can ride him, I can do whatever I want with him.”
Poliseno notched 31 of his 53 wins last year at Harrington Raceway, where he finished 10th in the driver standings. He had 18 at Dover and four at Shenandoah Downs.
“Things are starting to slow down a little more out there for me,” Poliseno said. “That’s what you try to do, you try to take it all slow, even though racing is a fast-paced thing. I feel like my decision-making has gotten better, just trying to do smart things, like when to sit and when to pull. When you first start driving, you get a little excited and make some moves when you shouldn’t make moves. The more starts I’m getting, the more experience, the better I feel I’ve been getting.”
Poliseno spends a lot of time watching race replays, studying the program, and absorbing advice from his peers.
“I watch every replay, probably 10 times,” the Delaware resident said. “You can watch yourself one time, then run it back and watch all the other people in the race. That’s how I’ve been trying to get better. You’ve got the big guys at Dover, and they’re always nice and give me tips. It’s good to have the veterans out there give you some pointers.
“The other good thing about getting experience out there (on the track), you start learning all the other horses rather than just your horse. You learn what all the other horses in the races are doing. That’s definitely a benefit.”
Looking ahead, Poliseno’s main goal is to simply keep improving. He might travel a little more this season, possibly to compete at Harrah’s Philadelphia or Ocean Downs.
“Maybe I can pick up some more accounts, maybe visit a couple more tracks,” Poliseno said. “I just want to stay focused, get some more drives, some more wins. I just want to keep the train rolling.”