At the age of 23 years old, Matt Kakaley is on track to making harness racing history in the near future
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Kakaley currently boasts 1,989 wins on his career record and could soon become the youngest driver in harness racing history to reach 2,000 lifetime victories. Tim Tetrick holds the record for youngest driver to reach 2,000, having accomplished the feat at the age of 24 in 2006.
“Timmy is probably the best driver in the game right now, and to break one of his records, it means something,” Kakaley said. “I’m really proud of it.
“I never dreamed I would be racing where I am right now, driving for the trainers I race for, and the owners I race for. It’s kind of surreal. To have success like this, it’s just great. I’m driving on the East Coast against the best drivers in the country, which is special. It’s amazing.”
Kakaley was the youngest driver to reach 1,000 wins, which he accomplished at the age of 21 in June 2009, but the mark was broken by Doug McNair, who was 20 when he reached that level in December 2010. Kakaley was given the 2010 Rising Star Award from the U.S. Harness Writers Association.
Last year, Kakaley won 444 races and earned a career-best $6.07 million in purses. He was the leading driver at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs.
“It was a great year,” Kakaley said. “I didn’t have any really big stakes horses that I was driving, but the time will come for that. I’m just taking things as they come. I got a lot of support from [trainer] Ronnie Burke at Pocono and it was a great year at Pocono. I hope I can duplicate it when I go back.”
Kakaley, who lives in northeastern Pennsylvania, is keeping busy while Pocono Downs is closed for its off-season (re-opening in April), racing at Dover Downs in Delaware and the Meadowlands in northern New Jersey.
“It’s a lot of driving, but it’s all worth it,” Kakaley said. “I might get tired and complain about it once in a while, but it’s an honour to get to do this for a living.”
(With files from HRC)