A memorable and successful year for Bartlett

When driver Jason Bartlett looks back on his 2024 harness racing campaign, it is with a great deal of satisfaction, not to mention gratitude.

Bartlett’s list of accomplishments this year have included setting a career high for purses, with nearly $12.5 million, and winning more than 600 races for the third consecutive season, the longest such stretch of his career. Along the way, he captured the MGM Yonkers Trot for the first time, one of 445 victories at Yonkers Raceway that propelled him to his 13th driving title at his longtime home track.

Among his numerous other highlights were winning the Bob Miecuna Invitational Trot and three New York Sire Stakes championships on the same day (Sept. 7) at Yonkers, becoming the first driver to twice win the Joe Gerrity Jr. Memorial at Saratoga Casino Hotel in the event’s 15-year history, and winning his first Matron Stakes.

All totaled, Bartlett won 14 times on the Grand Circuit, which tied for 11th among all drivers in North America. In addition to his success at Yonkers, the 43-year-old is eighth in the driver’s standings at The Meadowlands, with 47 victories, and finished ninth at Mohegan Pennsylvania’s Pocono Downs, with 60. His 17.1-percent win rate at The Big M is second to only Yannick Gingras among drivers with more than 115 starts there.

“I had a bunch of really good nights that were memorable this year,” Bartlett said. “I want to say thank you to all the trainers and owners for giving me the opportunities. I picked up some really nice horses and things worked out pretty well.

“I’ve always liked to stay home with Yonkers, but I got hooked up with some of these horses and it kind of took me places that I hadn’t gone before. I’ve driven at a lot of tracks this year. It was a lot of work but a very successful year.”

Bartlett’s top horse this season was 3-year-old male trotter Sir Pinocchio, who delivered the driver to the winner’s circle in the Yonkers Trot, Matron, Dexter Cup, and NYSS final. The gelding finished no worse than second in 15 of 17 races this season, winning 11 and earning $640,902 for trainer Ed Hart and breeder/owner Carolyn Atherton.

Earlier this month, Sir Pinocchio received the USTA District 8 Horse of the Year Award at the Monticello-Goshen Chapter of the U.S. Harness Writers Association’s annual awards banquet.

“Sir Pinocchio was special for the people that I drove him for,” said Bartlett, who was the USTA District 8 Driver of the Year. “He came a long way from being an Excelsior (Series) champ last year to what he did this year. The Yonkers Trot was something that I really wanted to get; I’d been so close before. Finally, I got it done.”

Bartlett’s other NYSS champs were 3-year-old female pacer Tarrific, trained by Chris Ryder, and 2-year-old female pacer The Last Martini, trained by Jared Bako. Tarrific later finished second in the Breeders Crown, missing by a neck to My Girl EJ after starting from post 10.

“A lot of times, the New York Sire Stakes horses don’t really venture to the Grand Circuit much,” Bartlett said. “I had a couple this year that did that. They were dominant in New York and then very competitive on the Grand Circuit. Sir Pinocchio, Tarrific; they were really special this year.

“I always knew (Tarrific) was very capable of going with those fillies. I’d driven in Pennsylvania against some of those fillies, so I knew them a little bit. Knowing Tarrific, I knew she could hold her own against them.”

Bartlett notched his win in the Miecuna Invitational with Ari Ferrari J for trainer Tony Alagna and his victory in the Gerrity Memorial with Coaches Corner for trainer Per Engblom. Coaches Corner’s 1:49.3 score was the fourth-fastest mile in Saratoga history.

He also won five of eight New York Excelsior Series finals at Vernon Downs in September.

Overall, Bartlett’s 620 wins this year rank second in North America and his $12.47 million in purses are third. For his career, Bartlett has won 10,947 races (14th best in North American history) and $161 million in purses (10th best).

“If you’re winning races, you’re making money; it kind of goes hand in hand,” Bartlett said. “I do focus on the money, but the wins are going to come.”

Friday will be the final race night of the year at Yonkers, and Bartlett is looking forward to about a monthlong break before getting back to work in 2025.

“I always feel this way at the end of the season, that I’ve got to get turned out,” Bartlett said. “It’s a lot of miles up and down the road. But as much work as I put into it this year, the results were great, so there’s no complaints on my part for working long hours and being on the road and traveling as much as I did. I think the trainers and grooms have it a lot harder than I do.

“I’m not the type of person that likes to sit down or stay idle, so once I get a couple weeks in me, I’ll be ready to go back at it again,” he added. “It doesn’t take me long to recharge. I guess the competitiveness and winning races kind of pushes you. You’ve got to love it, or you’d never do it.”

by Ken Weingartner, for the USTA