Flanigen nearing 3,000 wins

He was just a kid when he broke into the harness racing business and after two years of driving reinsman Jack Flanigen only had won eight races, but 23 years later the 41-year-old native of Buffalo is nearing a milestone most drivers can only dream of: 3,000 lifetime wins.

“Jackie,” as he is often called, currently sits with 2,995 victories, just five away from the notable milestone. He is the son of Steve Flanigen, a retired Standardbred driver who still trains a small stable.

Jack Flanigen won on his first career drive but it didn’t come at Batavia or Buffalo; it was at Lake Shore Meadows, in Erie, Pa. He sat behind a horse named Mighty Mite for trainer Jim Crossan. 

By 1990 Jack was one of the most sought after drivers on the Western New York harness racing circuit.

During the 90s he drove in 11,899 races and won 2,279 of them. His best year was 1996, when he brought home 271 winners. During his career his drives have earned over $6.5 million.

In 2001 Flanigen began a second career working for the New York State Department of Transportation as a truck driver. “The business was starting to get lean,” Flanigen said, “and the pension plan was froze. I thought it was time to do something about it.”

While Flanigen doesn’t drive as much as he did during the 90s, he still averages over 600 drives a year. He has won 76 races in 2007.

According to long-time Western New York trainer Gary Gregory, “Jack really knows how to take care of a horse. I always have a horse to bring back for next week or next year when I use him.”

Also long as purses stay good Flanigen plans of keeping both jobs and racing fans can plan on seeing him in the winner’s circle too. (Batavia Downs)

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