Driver gets first win on New Year’s Day

It might be difficult to imagine a harness racing driver getting the first victory of his career and having that single triumph put him on top of the season’s national standings for wins, but thanks to James Day, there is no need to imagine.

Day accomplished the feat Sunday (Jan. 1) when he won Northfield Park’s first race — the sport’s first race of 2023.

Day guided his 7-year-old pacer Mancino (Sunshine Beach) to victory by 4-1/4 lengths in 1:54.1. Day also trains the gelding, who won in gate-to-wire fashion for owner Powerplay Racing 87, thereby putting the 26-year-old on top of the sport’s standings for training wins as well.

“It was a good start to the new year, that’s for sure,” said Day, who held his No. 1 positions for a couple hours.

Day grew up in Virginia with riding horses before being introduced to harness racing by his wife, Hannah. Day was employed as a welder at the time and worked for several trainers whenever he had free time. After seeing job opportunities dwindle following the COVID-19 outbreak, he decided to pursue harness racing on a fulltime basis.

MANCINO REPLAY

He started his own stable in 2021 and got his first training win in September of that year. He added seven more victories in 2022.

“Once you get one win, then you want the next one,” Day said. “You just keep wanting them. I guess that’s why we stay in the business.

“I enjoy the horses. I’m new to the game, but every day I learn something. The guys around here will tell you something, you listen to them, and it makes sense. There are a lot of helpful people here.”

Day is stabled at Northfield, where he has a dozen horses owned by his in-laws’ Powerplay Racing 87. He previously lived in West Virginia but moved to Ohio about 18 months ago to cut down on the travel demands.

One type of driving Day enjoys, though, is behind a horse. Since this past fall, he has been the primary driver for all the horses in his stable.

“I think everybody wants to drive,” Day said. “When you watch the races, you’re always saying, ‘I want to be that guy.’ I was kind of nervous to start, but after driving in a few qualifiers and at the fairs, I wasn’t so nervous.

“I’ll continue driving my own. Maybe one of these days I’ll become a catch driver. That’s the plan anyway.”

Three of last year’s top-seven drivers in wins — Aaron Merriman, Ronnie Wrenn Jr., and Hunter Myers — are regulars at Northfield, as are Billy Davis Jr. and Chris Lems, who both won more than 300 races. Merriman topped the sport in victories for the eighth consecutive year, with 881.

“It’s tough,” Day said. “It’s probably not the place to start out. When you can get Aaron or Ronnie or Billy, that’s who you want. I’ll continue to drive my own and see where that goes. You’ve got to be out on the track as much as you can (to develop). I might go to a couple different meets and see how it goes. I might go to Virginia, or maybe Minnesota. We’ll see what happens.”

As for now, Day will simply work to improve.

“I’m kind of tough on myself,” Day said. “As soon as I get off the bike, I’m thinking about what I shouldn’t have done, or what I should have done. I guess everybody does that. But if you’re not tough on yourself, I don’t think you’re going to get any better.

“Each year, I want to get better. You always strive to do better. That’s the goal.”

by Ken Weingartner, for the USTA