Big workload, big steps for Irvine

If getting on the racetrack more often is the key to learning for a harness racing young driver, Justin Irvine’s 2024 workload provided something of a master class.

Irvine, an Ohio native who turned 23 in December, competed in 2,350 races last year after making fewer than 3,100 starts combined through the first six seasons of his career. His number of starts in 2024 ranked 15th among drivers in North America and resulted in career highs of 304 wins and $2.66 million in purses. His previous highs — 130 victories and $1.08 million — had been set in 2023.

Among his highlights last season was finishing among the leading drivers at his home track, MGM Northfield Park, and winning nine times at The Meadowlands. He also finished third with Soft Shot in the $100,000 Courageous Lady Invitational, one of Northfield’s highest-profile events, and second with The Onyx Dragon in both an Ohio Sire Stakes championship and Buckeye Stallion Series final. In addition, he was in the sulky for Southwind Amazon’s 138th lifetime victory, setting a modern-day record for wins.

Prior to last year’s breakout campaign, Irvine was among the leading drivers for three consecutive years at Northville Downs, with two seconds and a third, and was named the 2021 Rising Star of the Year in Michigan. That year he also received the Peter Haughton Memorial Award from the Ohio chapter of the U.S. Harness Writers Association, which presents the annual honor to a young Ohioan who is an “up-and-coming” star.

“I’ve always wanted to drive horses,” said Irvine, who is the son of Ohio Harness Racing Hall of Famer Don Irvine Jr. “I don’t think there was ever really a time when I thought I wasn’t going to drive horses. Since I was a kid, I’ve helped my mom (Renee) and dad in the barn. On summer break, I was always in the barn, jogging and helping with whatever I could do.

“Now that I actually get to drive horses and make a living at it, it’s great. Not that I didn’t think it would happen, but it’s just kind of crazy that I’m 23 and I’m doing what I said I’ve always wanted to do.”

Irvine’s increased opportunities last year sort of snuck up on him.

“I guess I didn’t really realize the work I was picking up, and then all of a sudden, I’m driving five or six days a week and I drive almost every race,” he said. “It’s what I’ve wanted to do since I was young, and it just somewhat happened.

“When you start out, it’s tough because you’re new. You make a lot of mistakes, just immaturity. (Driver) Chris Page told me when I was starting that the only way to get better is seat time, just getting on the track more. That’s the only way you can learn how to drive. I was picking up a few drives here and there and I’d do all right. Then it seemed like I picked up a couple good accounts, and then sooner or later I was pretty much in every race and driving as much as I could.

“It’s a slow process, and you have to let it develop. It makes me feel good because it seems like I’m doing something right when people are putting you down (to drive).”

The fact Irvine picked up the majority of his victories at Northfield made last season even more gratifying.

“I’ve known everybody at Northfield Park since I was a kid,” Irvine said. “It’s nice to drive for people that I’ve known forever because it kind of means something extra. Not that I don’t try to do well for everybody that I drive for, but I’ve known these people since I was 10, 11, 12 years old. It’s like doing well for your family. It’s a little more personal.”

Irvine added The Meadowlands to his schedule last November. It also has been a learning experience because he has spent most of his career driving on half-mile ovals. Irvine will drive in 21 races on the Big M’s one-mile surface this weekend.

“It’s great, it’s really cool,” Irvine said. “Very rarely do I get the opportunity to drive on a big track. Driving on a mile track, you have to adapt. The track plays much differently. You really have to be patient and work things out. I think on the half-mile tracks, it’s more dependent on how you draw and if you have gate speed. A lot of things have to go right for you on a half. On a mile track, you can win from anywhere.

“If nothing else, it will make me a better driver by driving on the bigger track. I enjoy driving there.”

Learning is not limited to what Irvine experiences on the racetrack. It also comes in the form of feedback from those around him.

“I’m always open to criticism, whether it’s constructive criticism or getting flat-out yelled at,” said Irvine, who has won 726 races in his career. “When you race horses, it’s a business. It’s a high-intensity business. So, sometimes you do have differences after races. Regardless, I’m always open to anything that can make me better. I know even though people might be upset in the moment, truly what they’re trying to do is help me.

“If I think I drove bad, I’ll go back and watch the replay. I try not to take it home with me too much, but being young it’s tough because you want to do so well every time you go out there. I just try not to make the same mistake twice. So, if I do mess up in a race, I try to understand where I messed up or what I did wrong. You’re going to make mistakes, it’s inevitable. We’re human. But if I can get one percent better every day and try not to duplicate mistakes, I think that over time I’ll get exponentially better.”

by Ken Weingartner, for the USTA