	1	2	3	4	5	6
7	8	9	10	11	12	13
14	15	16	17	18	19	20
21	22	23	24	25	26	27
28	29	30	31

Click here for RSS

Kakaley leaving Florida, heading to Pocono

Return Home

March 11, 2010

Send To A Friend | Print View

Matt Kakaley, the youngest driver in harness racing history to surpass 1,000 wins, has wrapped up his first season in the driving colony in South Florida and he's on the move for the next phase of his career.

"I'm leaving Florida on Thursday morning to go to Streetsboro, Ohio, to pack up my things and I'm moving to Wilkes-Barre, Pa., to race at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs right from the start of their new meet on March 23," he explained in a live TV pre-race interview before the Wednesday night program at the Isle Casino Racing Pompano Park.

In a four-month stay at the Isle, Kakaley certainly made a substantial impact with his driving ability and left a positive impression from his soft spoken and polite manner. From just over 500 drives he amassed 61 wins for purse earnings of almost $390,000. In addition to his nightly driving duties he was able to help his mother, Linda, train her string based at Pompano this meet as well.

"So far I only have a commitment from one trainer, Ron Burke, for driving at Pocono," Kakaley said. "I'm hoping once I get moved there and established that more work will come my way. Of course I understand that can take time, during the summer stakes season I'll be willing to travel, and that I have to earn my place."

Kakaley will mark his 22nd birthday on March 19. One of his top memories from this stint in Florida was piloting the 3-year-old pacing filly Special Sweetheart to a 1:52.1 track record performance shortly after he arrived last November. As he ends this chapter of his career and prepares to begin the next one at Pocono Downs, he has high praise for the driving colony he's leaving behind.

"The drivers I was on the track with here in Florida are as talented a group as I think you could find most anywhere," he observed. "I would say out of all the guys here, I watched Wally Hennessey the closest and picked up a few good things from him. I don't know yet if I'll be back to Florida for sure in October (for the 2010-2011 meet), that's the catch-drivers' life I guess. I just hope wherever I am people will keep putting me down to drive so I can do the best I can for them." (Pompano Park)

« Back