Maine news, sports, weather | Kennebec Journal, Augusta, Maine

HARNESS RACING

A hometown favorite

Windsor native only able to make 1 trip to home track this year

By Gary Hawkins ghawkins@centralmaine.com
Staff Writer

WINDSOR -- Just a dozen years ago Jason Bartlett picked his first career victory behind a horse at Windsor Fair.

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READY TO START: Jason Bartlett got his start racing at the Windsor Fair and has moved on to become one of the top drivers in the country. He is well on his way to a third track title at Yonkers Raceway in Yonkers, N.Y.

Staff file photo by Joe Phelan

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"Geri's Beauty," Bartlett said of the winning horse. "It was pretty good considering it was at my home track. I had been driving for three weeks."

Bartlett has since driven to thousands of victories while making a name for himself as one of the country's leading harness racing drivers. He's well on his way to his third track title at Yonkers Raceway in Yonkers, N.Y., where he is 80 wins ahead of the second-place driver. He also stands fifth nationwide in wins and sixth in earnings with more than $6 million in purses.

Bartlett makes it a point to return to Windsor Fair each year and drive some of the horses owned by his grandfather, Dick Bartlett.

He made an appearance at Windsor last Sunday, his only day off, and drove to four wins, four seconds and two thirds on a 12-race card. He was scheduled to appear at Windsor today but was unable to make travel arrangements and still honor commitments at two race tracks Monday.

"He feels pretty bad," Dick Bartlett said. "He didn't even want to tell me he couldn't make it until the last minute. He loves coming home."

Bartlett's absence opens up some possibilities for other drivers and horses. A year ago, he and fellow Yonkers driver Justin Stratton combined to win 10 of 12 races on the final Sunday at Windsor.

"Everybody likes to see him come back for a day or so," veteran driver Steve Mahar joked. "They probably don't want to see him come back for good."

Mahar has raced for more than 30 years with more than 5,000 wins and tested the big time. He's watched Bartlett from day one and liked what he saw.

"He's very aggressive and he gets a lot out of a horse," Mahar said.

Bartlett, 29, also does his homework, no matter where he competes. He knows most of the horses at Windsor -- some of them he's driven at other tracks -- and their tendencies, regardless of whether he's driving.

He also realizes there is some resentment when he comes back to his home track and is careful not to step on any toes.

"Down here, you're dealing with the best drivers in the country," Bartlett said this week while returning from a card at Freehold, N.J. "But you know what, that's where I learned. That's who helped me get where I am today."

You won't see many big payoffs on Bartlett-driven horses at Windsor. The crowd bets him up big, first because he's good and second he's a hometown favorite.

"We're fortunate," veteran driver and trainer Mike Cushing said. "He's a great face for harness racing nationwide because he's a young, good-looking, personable kid, raised right. He's a good representative of the sport. The fact he's from Maine makes us a little extra proud of him."

Bartlett has the benefit of his grandfather's expertise as well as access to his horses. But in harness racing, performance on the track is what counts.

"That comes after awhile," Mahar said of good horses. "You've got to earn that respect. I've been there, done that."

This is Bartlett's busiest time of year and he often divides his time between four or five tracks. Monday, he's racing Vernon Downs in upstate New York during the day then flying back to Yonkers for an evening card.

It's no wonder he enjoys coming to Maine, even if it puts a crimp in his schedule. He usually makes it a point to visit his old basketball coach, Tim Bonsant, for whom he starred at Erskine Academy, and will often visit the school when it's in session.

"I see a lot of friends I don't talk to that much," Bartlett said. "The atmosphere's a lot different than what I'm used to."

Bartlett won the Levy Pacing Series in Yonkers in May with a purse of $460,000. Most races pay far less but they pile up quickly. Friday night, he won three races with combined purses of $1.4 million. He's gearing up for the New York Night of Champions stakes race finals at Yonkers later this month, each paying $200,000.

His goals at this point are to just stay healthy. He had a couple of bad wrecks a couple of years ago but has been injury free for more than a year and a half. Despite his success, he's remained both grateful and humble.

"Some people didn't get the opportunities I did," he said. "I've been pretty lucky."

Windsor race director Bill McFarland added a new promotion this year, handing out Jason Bartlett bobble heads in drawings after each race.

"Jason is one of the best," McFarland said. "I think people have a lot of admiration for what he's done. He's a real gentleman."

Gary Hawkins -- 621-5638

ghawkins@centralmaine.com