Eightysomethings win award

Two of arguably the most incredible men still racing horses today, 80-year-old Dr. Howard E. (Doc) Gill and 85-year-old Orrin Phipps, are co-winners of the National Amateur Driver of the Year Award, the United States Harness Writers Association announced Friday.

Doc Gill, from Pine Bush, N.Y., has had a life-long career as a very well-respected veterinarian and in recent years has enjoyed success driving his great trotting mare, Miss Gibbons. Born and raised in Kansas, Gill, known as Gene in his youth, starred on the gridiron in the 1940s at what has become Kansas State University .

Phipps, from Yarmouth, Maine , owns and still runs one of the biggest trucking companies in his home state and has had his share of accolades recently. As one of the oldest harness drivers still competing and winning races, inspirational stories have been written about this incredible gentleman and he’s even appeared on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno Show talking about his life-long passion of driving harness horses.

But what is common about both lifelong gentleman drivers, besides their ability to rein winners, is their outlook on life itself. They are both affable, positive thinking, and are youthful in their thoughts and ways. And perhaps most important is their ability to laugh, be optimistic and look forward to the next day with zeal.

Doc Gill’s pride and joy is his homebred trotting mare Miss Gibbons. Together they currently amassed total purses in excess of $283,000, the bulk coming from the New York Sire Stakes program where, in 2003 she was the NYSS Horse of the Year. Two years ago Miss Gibbons set the Monticello Raceway track record of 1:57:1 for older trotting mares and was named that track’s Horse of the Year. This season Doc Gill has driven 11 winners and has a career total of 340. Two days ago he and Miss Gibbons won a trotting feature at Monticello Raceway. To date in 2006, Doc Gill’s driving stats are 76-11-17-7 for a very credible .300 UDR.

Phipps, who has driven three winners this year and 130 from a limited amount of lifetime starts, also has his favorite, a Muscles Yankee 6 year old by the name of Chooch who Phipps reined to a 1:59 triumph last July which is undoubtedly one of the fastest miles ever driven by an 85 year old reinsman. Chooch, whom Phipps admits is “part of the family” loves root beer—he gets it in his hot mashes every night— donuts and candy. “Why he’s so gentle I could bring him (Chooch) right into my house,” Phipps jibed.

Downeaster”, Todd Whitney, an amateur driver himself from Auburn, Maine, who knows and admires both Phipps and Gill, after being told that the pair of octogenarians will share national amateur honors said delightedly: “That’s tremendous…. they are both great men and I’m proud to call each a friend. The writers couldn’t have made a better choice this year. I wonder how many of us will still be driving horses when we are 80 (years old)?” (USHWA)

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