Sorrie likes prospects in ORDC

Harness racing driver Austin Sorrie said he is optimistic about his drives ahead of his debut in the Ontario Regional Driving Championship (ORDC) tonight.

“I like all of them,” he said of his mounts. “They all have a shot, should be in the money – the top three, I think. Once I get them into the right spots and the right trip, I think they’ll all be good.”

This matches the mindset the 22-year-old Montague, P.E.I. native said has helped him on his rise as a reinsman. He made his first pari-mutuel starts in April 2018 at Charlottetown and won 32 races in his first season before moving to Ontario in early 2019. Each year since, he has picked up more drives and more wins, culminating in a 2021 season that saw him honoured as the Future Star Award at the O’Brien Awards.

“(The biggest factor has been) giving every horse a shot,” he said. “Just because they’re 100-1 doesn’t mean you have to take them back. Just get them in the right spot, and if the horse is good, time doesn’t mean anything. Give me a horse that can go 1:50 or 1:51 – just as long as it’s in the right spot, I’ll give it a shot.”

Sorrie said he was surprised for his invitation to the ORDC. He recently became a mainstay at Woodbine Mohawk Park, Ontario’s top circuit, after trainer Carmen Auciello asked him to drive in October 2021 when some of Canada’s top drivers had traveled to the Breeders Crown. He said he wasn’t planning on the move but was in the right place at the right time. To date, the Freelton resident has won 537 races in 4,194 tries.

He said he holds an advantage in having more recently been a regular at The Raceway and still driving there frequently. Sorrie noted that “you know the horses, you know more what they do,” and that it’s helpful to know where to place horses and if others have been put in good spots or not.

Sorrie said he’s excited for the opportunity.

“It’s incredible to be included in something like that to have a shot at representing your country,” he said.

Nine drivers will compete from races three to 11 tonight at The Raceway at Western Fair District for a spot in the National Driving Championship. Sorrie will race alongside Travis Henry, Trevor Henry, Colin Kelly, Brett MacDonald, James MacDonald, Bob McClure, Doug McNair, and Louis-Philippe Roy. Each driver will start once from each of the eight posts and miss one race. The reinsmen will receive points dependent on their finishes, and the top point-getter will head to the 2022 National Driving Championship at Century Downs. The winner of that contest will represent Canada in the 2023 World Driving Championship in Italy.

First post for tonight’s racing will be at 5:50 p.m.

For full race entries, click here.

by Nicholas Barnsdale, for Harnesslink