Three-time
defending Tioga Downs Leading Driver staying at The Big M.
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – (Tuesday, March 31, 2015)
Jimmy Marohn Jr. has been one of harness racing’s best kept secrets over the
past few years and in case you’ve missed it, Jimmy Marohn Jr. has officially
arrived.
That may sound foolish given that Marohn is now 33 and
nearing 3,000 wins in his career. But Marohn is clearly in the midst of
what must be described as his breakout season.
Since it’s opening in 2006, Marohn has been one of the
leading drivers at Tioga Downs. In fact, he is the three-time defending
leading driver at the track, winning 235 races at Tioga since 2012 for earnings
of over $1.6 Million. Tioga Downs opening day is slated for May 2nd,
and Marohn had to decide, will he continue to drive at The Meadowlands each
weekend, or will he venture to Tioga where he typically drives the best horses
on the grounds and aim for a fourth consecutive driving title over the Nichols,
New York oval?
Faced with the most difficult decision of his young career,
Marohn has decided to remain at The Meadowlands on Friday and Saturday nights
throughout the championship meet. For Marohn, the time is now to strike
while the iron is hot. He is planning to drive at Tioga Downs on Sundays,
but he will call The Meadowlands home for the rest of the season. In
addition, Marohn will continue to drive at Monticello and Freehold during the
week.
“It's been a difficult decision to choose whether to go back
to Tioga or take a new route in my career and continue with the meet at the
Meadowlands,” said Marohn. “Tioga has always been good to me, which I am
extremely grateful for. It wasn't an easy decision, but in life you have to
take risks in order to be successful and this is one of those moments. So I'm going
to stay the summer at the Meadowlands.”
Meadowlands C.E.O/General Manager Jason Settlemoir has known Marohn for a
long time and is optimistic about his future. “It has been a privilege to
have had Jimmy at Tioga all these years, and we look forward to seeing him on Sundays.
But I am also filled with excitement for him as he takes on this new venture in
his career. The way he has been driving, now is the time for him to take
on this challenge. Simply put, he is the consummate professional and I
wish him the best of luck during our Championship Meet at The Meadowlands.”
Through Monday, Marohn is sitting on 108 wins, good for
eighth (8th) in the country. With the first quarter of the
racing calendar concluding, Marohn is on pace for over 430 wins and earnings
beyond $2.1 Million. Both would surpass his career best season of 390
wins and $1.76 Million in earnings.
But beyond the numbers, it is what Marohn has done at The
Meadowlands this winter that has people talking.
Amazingly, it has been more than 10 years since Marohn
earned his first driving victory at The Meadowlands with SJ’s Tostitos in a
$20,000 Claiming Handicap Trot in December of 2004. But over the last
decade, Marohn’s wins have been rather sporadic, never winning more than three
races in a meet at The Big M until last season, when Marohn won 10 races.
But this meet, Marohn has elevated his game to a new level, winning 25
races. That number is more wins than Marohn has earned at the East
Rutherford oval in the last 10 years combined.
One of Marohn’s best qualities is his humble nature, which
was evident in this statement. “It feels really good to matter there,”
referring to The Meadowlands.
Marohn has hooked up with trainer Daniel Gill, whom he has
won many races for in New York over the past several years and trainer Rob
Harmon, who’s stable has been very live to start the season.
“Both trainers have been an important part in my success at
the Meadowlands,” referring to Gill and Harmon , “and I am grateful to have the
opportunity to drive for them consistently. In this game you need trainers with
good horses that will give you a shot and will stick with you. I have been
fortunate to be able to drive for both trainers.”
At present, Marohn sits tenth (10th) in the
driver standings at The Meadowlands. The most impressive aspect of his
season thus far is that he has made it into the top 10 in The Meadowlands
drivers colony, while driving in less races than all nine drivers in front
him. In fact, Marohn’s 203 drives is 70 less than Ron Pierce who is the
next closest competitor in both starts and wins and Marohn has only one less
win than the Hall of Famer. By comparison, he has only seven less wins than
Andy Miller, who has driven in 168 more races than Marohn.
With Ron Pierce sidelined with an injury and the next
closest driver (Trace Tetrick) having nine wins for the meet, Marohn appears to
be locked in as a top-10 driver at The Meadowlands for the duration of
2015. Marohn’s 13-percent (13%) win-rate is tied for fourth this meet,
with John Campbell. His 15 wins since February 1st is the sixth
highest total of The Meadowlands drivers and his nine wins in the month of
March is the fifth highest total of the driving colony, only one less than
leading driver Yannick Gingras despite having 20 less drives than anyone in the
top-10.
“It's a surreal moment in my career being in the spot that
I'm in and competing with the top drivers in the country. It goes to show
you that with hard work and dedication you can get far and achieve
success. You just have to keep at it and prove to trainers and owners
that you can get the job done. Hopefully with the solid winter meet that I have
had at the Meadowlands it will open the doors for more opportunities.”
The bettors are enjoying Marohn’s efforts as well, as he is
the only driver in the top-10 to show a positive return on investment at this
point of the season.
Director of Racing Operations Darin Zoccali was thrilled
when Marohn notified him of his decision. “Jimmy has had a sensational
meet. Being the oddsmaker and track handicapper is a part of my job
description and I have watched Jimmy closely this meet. He is driving
like he is in the zone. All you can ask a driver to do is give their
horse a chance to win, and he has consistently put horses in spots where they
can win. The time is now to take a chance at the Championship Meet and I
sincerely hope he is rewarded and given opportunities to shine in our stakes
program. He deserves it.”
Marohn recently turned 33 years old. That is
significant as it is the same age Corey Callahan began driving at The
Meadowlands on a regular basis. Since making the move to The Big M,
Callahan has become one of the stars of the sport, winning the Rising Star
Award for his 2013 driving campaign, amassing over 1,200 wins over the last two
seasons and nearly $19 Million earnings. This year, Callahan finds
himself second in the country with 196 wins and leads all drivers with nearly
$1.7 Million in earnings. While choosing to stay at The Meadowlands
doesn’t guarantee the success Callahan has had, it could be the decision that
launches the career of Jimmy Marohn Jr. into another stratosphere.
