Stutzman drives a winner

Joe Stutzman has been training horses for 25 years and has more than 2,500 wins and $35 million in purse earnings, and now he can boast his first-ever driving victory after coming up a winner in a CKG Billings Amateur Driving Series leg Tuesday night at Kawartha Downs. Stutzman—the 2005 Canadian Trainer of the Year and four-time Woodbine/Mohawk Trainer of the Year—directed the Mark Winacott-trained 5-year-old trotting mare Malabar Drive to a 1:59.3 win as the 1-2 favorite in the seven-horse field.

Despite training horses for more than two decades Stutzman had never even driven a horse in any type of race until last year when he received his qualifying license. Stutzman made 11 qualifying starts in 2006 and then had another 17 more this year before embarking on his amateur driving career in the Billings. He made his first Billings start Monday at Mohawk but had to settle for a fourth-place finish.

“I found it’s not as easy at it looks,” the 45 year old answered with a laugh. “It gives me more of an inside perspective of what goes on. It’s one thing watching your race from the paddock, it’s another driving a horse when it wins. The second drive was less nervous than the first one. Winning was a very exciting experience.”

Stutzman added he plans on racing the handful of future Billings stops in Canada, but he won’t be traveling to the United States for any engagements.

“It’s a great series for someone looking to have some fun and getting some driving experience,” he concluded. “The training aspect will not change; this is something for some fun. But I’ll just be retaining my amateur status.”

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