Rich Fisher

Trenton, NJ — Driver Corey Callahan will long remember the “inspiration” he got from 8-year-old son Jackson while he was in pursuit of a milestone.

It had been a long day for Callahan at Harrah’s Philadelphia last Thursday (June 23). That morning, he told wife Joanna that he had around six good chances to get the one victory needed for his 7,000th career win, and estimated that they would be races two, three, eight, 10, 11 and 13.

“I told her I thought the ones with my dad’s and brother’s horses in the second and third have a shot, but then it goes kind of chilly for another hour, so I don’t know what you want to do,” Callahan said. “She said, ‘Well, we’ll get there early.’”

Corey came up short of the big one in those first two races, so Joanna ushered their daughter Ceira and sons Blakely, Weston, Jackson, and his best friend, also named Jackson, into the grandstand to kill time for the next hour.

They returned to watch the eighth race, in which Corey made a late charge but finished second.

“I looked over and they’re cheering me,” Callahan said. “I’m like, well, we’re second.”

In the 10th race, Callahan was driving JL Cruze, who is “much better on the mile track; he kind of hangs up in the turns.”

Dexter Dunn took advantage of that and made a move in the turn with Hayek to relegate Callahan to another runner-up slot.

“Dex said, ‘Hey sorry mate, I took advantage of you on the turn there,’” Callahan said. “I was like ‘Yeah, no (crap)!’ I said, ‘That’s why you win a lot of races, you pay attention.’ He said ‘Yeah, probably not enough.’”

So, it came down to three races remaining for Corey to get to 7,000. As he led Star Razor out for the race 11 post parade, Callahan heard a familiar voice cutting through Pennsylvania’s summer heat.

It was Jackson’s.

“He looks out and yells ‘Dad, can you please just win a race!’” Callahan said, laughing. “He had just watched me finish second twice and yells that out. I was like ‘Yeah, thanks bud, I’m only out here trying to finish second!’”

Corey Callahan and his family celebrate in the winner’s circle after his 7,000th career victory. Grace Zimmers photo.

But being the good dad he is, Corey abided by Jackson’s wishes as Star Razor went wire-to-wire in 1:54.4. Corey was elated as his family joined him in the winner’s circle but was not done with Jackson yet.

“I told him at dinner that night, ‘Bud, that would be like me coming to your lacrosse game and yelling ‘Jackson will you please score a goal so we can leave,’” Callahan said.

Ahh, kids.

“They make it fun, that’s for sure,” Callahan said.

Achievements like 7,000 wins are always fun, of course. They take on even more luster when shared with family. Star Razor is trained by Corey’s brother Shaun and co-owned by his father, Nick, along with Callahan’s Yorwollahan Racing Team and Greg Godbout.

“It was like winning one of those big races,” he said. “Every race you win is fun, there’s always some that kind of just hit a little different. And that one definitely hit a little different. I’ve won a lot of races for my dad and my brother, but never on a milestone so that made it that much more special.”

Many drivers and trainers will comment that they are too busy focusing on their next race to really savor the moment, leaving that for the offseason or retirement. But Callahan wasn’t going to lie. He took a moment to enjoy it and understand the significance.

“Every milestone obviously is something that’s special,” the 44-year-old said. “Just recently I hit the $100 million mark in earnings so that was a really cool one as well. Stuff like this kind of makes you sit back and say, hey, all right, maybe I’ve been pretty successful at this.”

Once he finally made the decision to climb in a sulky, that success didn’t take long. Callahan did not start driving until age 26, despite growing up on a horse farm in a racing family.

“I spent a lot of time at the track when I was a kid but that was never a goal of mine,” he said. “I looked up to drivers and had some favorites at the time, but it was never like I’m going to be a driver when I grow up. I think a lot of young drivers nowadays, that was kind of their aspirations. I was so busy playing other sports — travel soccer, hockey and baseball. The horses weren’t really my thing.”

Corey went off to play hockey at the University of Kentucky, earned a degree “and put on a suit and tie for about five years.”

He owned some horses with his dad and spent time helping out in the paddock. One day Nick wasn’t feeling well and sent 25-year-old Corey out to warm a horse up. The surprised son took it out and discovered he enjoyed being on the track with the other drivers. One of them suggested he race a horse in an upcoming event at the Pocomoke Fair in Maryland.

“We had a horse that we were selling in the Ohio sale on a Monday and that race was on Saturday,” Callahan recalled. “We thought maybe we could make the shipping money. The race was going for like, 750 bucks. I went down, I won. That was kind of it. I got bit by the bug.”

Two months later, Callahan was in a transition phase and not quite sure what career path to take. He called Nick to ask for a job until he figured things out.

“He said sure,” Corey said. “So, I did that, started qualifying, and the rest was history.”

In 2005, Callahan made 16 starts and had one win. That first victory came courtesy of a horse provided by his cousin, Frank Milby, who recently got his 3,000th driving win. Corey won 76 races in ‘06 and broke through with 296 victories and $2.98 million in purses in 2007.

Corey Callahan had a career year in 2015 with 636 wins and $9.81 million in earnings. Lisa photo.

The former Wildcat skater was on his way, winning more than 400 races 10 straight years from 2008-17. Callahan won more than 500 from 2010-15 — including two years with 600 — and had a career year in 2015 with 636 wins and $9.81 million in earnings. That was his third straight season with more than $9 million in purse earnings.

Racing predominantly in Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania and The Meadowlands, Corey is an eight-time driving champion at Dover Downs. In 2011, he was the U.S. representative in the World Driving Championship, where he finished second.

In 2017, Callahan began to cut back on his starts per year, which consistently had topped 3,000, for two reasons — a bit of road weariness, and family.

“When I was really pumping out those starts, it was just me,” he said. “I just met my wife, I was doing doubleheaders every day. When anyone asked me to go somewhere I was going. For me, personally, you can only kind of hold up for so long, I just started scaling back a little bit. Not a lot, I still race almost every day and do doubleheaders.

“But that travel kind of wears on you, and I was trying to make more time for my family, now that they’re involved in sports and things. Saturday mornings, I’m watching a lacrosse game or hockey game or whatever.”

His desire to be there for the kids comes from a memorable little league experience.

“When I was 11 years old, I hit my first home run and my dad was just filling in as an umpire on second base,” Callahan recalled. “That ball went over left-center, and I’m pretty sure he was jumping higher than I was when I was rounding second base.

“I’ll always remember that image and I just want to make sure my kids remember those kinds of things and me being there for them. I don’t want to be an absentee dad where all he cares about is horses and racing.”

That being said, he shows no signs of slowing up. This year, he ranks No. 12 in North America in wins with 189 and No. 14 in purses with $2.60 million. The way things are going, Callahan sees no end in sight, at least in the immediate future.

“I hope not,” he said. “I guess, unfortunately there will probably be a day when you stop seeing your name on the sheet and then you have to figure something out. But things are going well now, I plan to keep on punching along.”

And if he ever needs a pick-me-up, Jackson will be right there to provide it in his own inimitable way.