by Rich Fisher, USTA Web Newsroom Senior Correspondent

Rich Fisher

Trenton, NJ — In a cool twist of fate, one horse provided two milestones for the Cushing family.

On Aug. 11 at the Skowhegan State Fair in Maine, 16-year-old Mitch Cushing drove Neverdie to his first career victory. One year earlier, Mitch’s dad Ron Cushing guided the same horse to his 2,000th career win.

“The funny part is, I didn’t even know that until after the race,” Mitch said. “It wasn’t in my head who he won it with because I wasn’t there that day when he won it.”

The horse belongs to Ron Cushing’s brother, Mike, and is trained by Mike’s wife Charlene. Uncle Mike knew of the significance of Neverdie and joked with an unknowing Mitch earlier in the day.

Mitch Cushing plans on making a life in harness racing, but hopes to have his career interrupted by big-time football.

“It was weird, I had a chance to win on Rusty’s horse,” said Mitch, referring to Russell Lanpher Jr., who gave Cushing quite a few horses. “I drove him and finished third.

“After I won, my uncle said ‘If you had won on Rusty’s horse I wouldn’t have given you this one.’ I didn’t know what he was talking about, and then it hit me, this was actually the horse my dad won his 2,000th on. And I thought that was pretty cool.

“I think if I knew that going into the race, I would have been thinking about it too much and trying too hard to win. I would have tried to push and done something different because of the inexperience and I probably would have been more bummed out.”

It was also a banner day for Ron Cushing, who has more than 2,100 wins as a driver and nearly 1,000 as a trainer.

“It was as rewarding as most any of mine,” Ron said. “He does such a good job doing it, and that’s what I like about it. It was very nice to have him do it on that horse, and to have him get it out of the way. The first one is hard to get out of the way.”

Mitch’s second win came a little more than a month later on Sept. 20 at Farmington, Maine, when he piloted Sign Of Thunder, a 9-year-old pacing gelding he co-owns with his dad, to a 1:58 score in a Maine Amateur Driving Club race.

Mitch Cushing is an interesting case. He plans on making a life in harness racing, but hopes to have his career interrupted by big-time football for a while. The gridiron is part of the reason why he can’t put all his focus on driving.

Cushing is a junior running back/linebacker for Lawrence High in Fairfield, Maine, and in the team’s opening-day 46-18 victory over Gardiner he scored two touchdowns. He scored four more in Lawrence’s next game, another win.

“Harness racing is my first love besides football,” Cushing said. “The way I figure it is, you only get to play football once. I love football and love horses. If I can do horses every day and play football the rest of my life I’d spend more time with horses.

“Next year is my senior year. If I don’t play college football, that’s it, football is done for me. I’d love to play it for the rest of my life. I love harness racing too but I can always walk into the barn with my family and do it. You can’t just walk into a Division I college and say ‘Hey, I want to play football here.’ You have to seize reality.”

Mitch went to the Boston College camp last summer and has a connection at Louisville, so he got to talk to their coaches and was enthused by the visit.

“They have an interest in me body-wise,” said the 6-foot, 205-pounder. “But I have to continue to produce this year and show it’s real, and I’ve got to make some film and show them. I’ve been working super hard for this junior year, I’ve gotten verbal communication.

“I’m going into the season working hard (to be recruited at) linebacker. I’ve always loved defense and I’m faster than I’ve ever been.”

Cushing’s goal is to earn a scholarship at a Division I program. If that doesn’t happen he is unsure what he might do as far as college goes.

“If I don’t set my goals high enough I won’t be willing to work hard enough,” he said. “As much as I love football, if I went Division II or Division III, I’m putting a strain on myself to play football and get an education, when football is something I’m not going to do at the next level. Why spend that much effort and add the stress of school, when I’ll probably do horses after college anyway?”

A lot can happen between now and June 2016 and Cushing’s main focus now is to work hard to get a D-1 scholarship. And if that doesn’t transpire?

“I’ve played both sides in my head,” he said. “It’s always great to have an education to fall back on. The other way to look at it, is the way harness racing is going right now it’s very good. The Mideast circuit, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Ocean Downs are all starting to prosper a little more.

“If that stays as prosperous as it is, and if I’m ready enough and my dad thinks I’m experienced enough to try and push it and be a driver or trainer, then maybe I’ll do that. I look at it as why put myself in debt when I know what I’m going to do anyway.”

Mitch has been around horses most of his life. He lived on a farm with his mom in Michigan and was around them all the time. He learned to drive on the same pony as Tyler Buter, who now has more than 2,200 wins as a driver.

“I just kind of knew when I was a little kid it was something I really loved and I always wanted to do,” Cushing said. “I drove that little pony every day. I learned to take care of it, brushed him.”

Double Tee Photography photos

Mitch Cushing piloted his first winner on Aug. 11 at the Skowhegan State Fair in Maine.

Cushing was still living with his mom when he started driving competitively at age 12. At that point his parents had divorced. He went to live with his dad in Maine permanently at 15 and got his license this past year, after failing the written test the first time.

“I was more confident than I should have been and the test wasn’t what I thought it would be,” he said. “I didn’t approach it as I should have. It was a lot more complex than I thought it would be. So I took it again in the spring and I passed.”

It didn’t take too long to get that first victory, although before the race his Uncle Mike was giving him the business.

“They got me nervous, and I never get nervous before a race,” Mitch said. “It doesn’t hit me anymore, I go out and have fun. But they were teasing me before the race because (Neverdie raced) at Yonkers, and he’s a solid open trotter.

“They were giving me a pretty hard time saying he’s a pretty good layover in that field. He can leave better than them all. They told me ‘If you don’t win with him today we have to tear up your license.’ They were working on me pretty good. I thought I better win this thing.”

Mitch then proceeded to give a five-minute oration of how the race went and the maneuvering he did, but then summed it up by saying with a laugh, “It was a lot more complex than it needed to be.”

And the feeling he got was not anticipated.

“I hit the wire and it was totally different than I ever pictured it,” he said. “In a way it was a big relief. It’s a different feeling. It’s only going to come once.”

Except for Neverdie, who has now driven a Cushing to a milestone win twice.