Sat Mar 13 2010
by Jeff Wheeler
Reporter
Northfield Village -- This week, harness driver Matt Kakaley may win his 1,000th race -- which would make him the youngest driver to reach that milestone.
And his winning form has paid off, as horses he drove last year earned $1.5 million in prize money -- leaving the Pompano Beach, Fla. native with $75,000 in earnings.
Kakaley is a regular driver at Northfield Park and trains at Sahbra Farms in Streetsboro, which happens to be a long ways away from his Florida roots.
But he isn't complaining.
"I like it [at Northfield Park] and I want to stay. Someday I hope to go to the Meadowlands or Yonkers," he said.
On June 26, Kakaley won six races, bringing his overall lifetime wins to 996, just four wins short of being the youngest driver to win 1,000 races.
Thus far this year, Kakaley has racked up 266 wins out of 1,292 races -- roughly one win for every five races he has driven.
But his wins aren't the entire story. Dedicated handicappers would know that Kakaley has thus far this year finished "in the money" every other race, with 223 second place and 178 third place finishes.
Kakaley's current record gives him a score of 0.348 under harness racing's Universal Driver Rating System. A respectable rating ranges from 0.250 to 0.300, according Northfield Park spokesperson Keith Gisser.
For Kakaley, being around horses and racing while growing up was as normal as playing catch with Dad.
The third generation driver was surrounded by the harness racing world.
His father, John, was a driver and his mother, Linda, was a horse trainer, so horses and racing were just another day at the office for his parents.
"My Dad taught me a lot about being a driver," he said.
Gisser said being in the family business has likely been a big factor in Kakaley's success.
"He's a third generation racer and grew up in the business, so that constantly being around horses helps," he said.
"I've never seen a driver of his age with such quiet hands," Gisser said, explaining Kakaley doesn't often pull the reins and thus, the bit in the horses mouth. "So when he starts to ask the horse to respond, he is able to get a great response."
Kakaley said another huge influence on his career has been trainer Mickey Burke, who brought him from Pompano Florida to Northeast Ohio.
"I've been very lucky. Being signed with Burke stables, having good horses. I have been very fortunate," Kakaley said. "Mickey Burke had a string of horses up here and an open spot, so I would work with the horses in the mornings and then races in the evenings."
The move has been quite profitable, as Kakaley said he earns 5 percent of his horses' total winnings.
"Driving wasn't my first choice," Kakaley said, "but it was always in the back of my mind."
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