By Dave Little for Breeders Crown
Once a harness driver, always a
harness driver.
For someone with nearly 12,000 race
wins and over $100 million in earnings, that statement would have to be
spot-on, no? Not for Dave Magee, whose highly successful driving career
on the Chicagoland circuit has now seen him transition to an associate judge at
Indiana’s Hoosier Park, a position enhanced by the fact that Magee had a nearly
four-decade career in the bike.
From the judges’ stand, Magee is
keenly aware of what drivers are experiencing on the track. But when it comes
to rulings, don’t call him sympathetic.
“I try to be totally objective,”
said Magee. “I try it to see it from their perspective. I try to be
understanding of their position.”
These are big times at Hoosier
Park. The Breeders Crown eliminations were held October 20 and 21, with
championship events for females on October 27 and males on October 28.
Magee, who was inducted to the
harness racing Hall of Fame in 2000, will be a judge for a Breeders Crown, but
this isn’t his first appearance when it comes to the series. He also won a
Breeders Crown. Magee and the great Anniecrombie teamed up to win the 1988 Mare
Pace at the Meadowlands in a lifetime-best 1:52.3.
Magee remembered a lot about his
mare, but the race itself? Not so much.
“I thought I had a good shot and
felt like if the trip worked out, I’d get my first Breeders Crown win,” said
Magee. “She was really tough and fast and durable. She had all of the tools.
She was a good mare. I don’t remember much about the other horses in the
race,” said Magee. “That was a long time ago. I’m not sure if I came up the
inside or second up. I’m almost 64. I’m having a hard time recalling.”
Anniecrombie brushed to the lead at
the three-eighths, then yielded to Singing Strings. She then sat in the pocket
as Singing Strings and Kittiwake battled for the lead around the far turn.
Magee swung his charge off the rail with a little less than three-sixteenths to
go and powered past the top two before holding off Armbro Feather, who had
explosive pace in the stretch to get up for second.
Anniecrombie was a serious horse.
Her six-year career racing totals read 164 starts, 68 wins and $1.4 million in
earnings.
“It was my first and only Breeders
Crown win, so it was pretty special,” said Magee. “On a national level, it’s my
biggest win. I won quite a few American-Nationals, but that win was very
special. It was at the Meadowlands, which was then in its prime.”
Magee’s work ethic is hard to beat.
He retired from sulky duty at Balmoral Park on February 28, 2015 and started
his gig as a judge at Hoosier three days later.
“I was offered the position,” said
Magee. “It seemed like a great opportunity to transition from driving and stay
in the sport.”
Magee had let then-presiding judge
Tim Schmitz know that he was interested in becoming a judge, and in late winter
of 2015, a transition was in the works in the Hoosier judges’ booth. “They were
replacing judges and my name came up,” said Magee. “I was getting a little long
in the tooth, as they say, and I got a call from them and interviewed for the
job.”
His resume helped expedite things.
“They made an exception in my case,” said Magee. “I wasn’t certified to be a
judge, but my experience, plus the input of the other two judges, went a long
way toward me getting the job. Then, the first opportunity I got, I went
through the US Trotting Association (USTA) certification course.”
The trio of judges has all bases
covered. Magee brings his driving expertise as one of the associate judges.
Kevin Gumm, who has an administrative background, is the other associate, while
Mike Hall, who has experience in all sides of the business, is the presiding
judge.
“Mike checks with us before giving
his opinion,” said Magee. “But it’s unanimous almost always.”
Magee thinks about what could have
been in Chicago. “We lived out in the country, about an hour and a half
from Balmoral,” said Magee. “It was tough to leave. But Illinois is a high tax
state and has dysfunctional government, especially concerning horse racing. My
first year on the job in Indiana, I watched and saw the decline of racing in
Illinois. It was heart-wrenching. I really wanted to get out of Illinois, just
because of the frustration I felt over so many years of trying to pass
legislation that would impact harness racing in a positive way.”
Now that he’s moved his family to
Indiana - in the country, of course - all is rosy. “I think most everybody is
really proud of Hoosier Park. If you visit the facility, you would be
impressed. Management puts a lot into racing.”
“I’m excited to be a part of it
[Breeders Crown],” said Magee. “It’s not as exciting or as nerve-racking as if
I was participating with a horse. But sometimes, I get an itch to be out there,
now that I’ve been out of the bike for a couple of years. I’ll be imagining
what it would be like to be back.”
Once a harness driver, always a
harness driver.
