At the end of each year, when USHWA’s Monticello Goshen chapter holds its annual awards banquet, one of the most prestigious accolades bestowed is the chapter’s Rising Star Award. And from the choices of the up-and-coming youngsters that the local scribes have singled out over the years it seems as though they have a good handle on this situation, especially with recent choices being Jordan Stratton and Jimmy Marohn Jr.
Now, another that will be among the tops in years to come is 21-year-old Austin Siegelman, this year’s recipient of the Monticello-Goshen chapter’s Rising Star Award.
“Winning the Rising Star Award definitely gives me a lot of confidence going forward,” Siegelman told a reporter from his hometown newspaper, the Citizen’s Voice. “I plan on being in this business for a long time and hopefully this is just the beginning of great things to come.”
Siegelman began racing at Monticello this spring and was starting to draw attention by driving winners with regularity. Although, instead of staying, he headed back to his hometown. In retrospect, that move was premature because his stock didn’t fit well there and that track’s top drivers are talented, which didn’t leave much room – nor any good mounts – for a youngster looking to make a name for himself.
Since Siegelman lives in Kingston, Pennsylvania, a stone’s throw from Pocono Downs, he has long aspired to be among the driving colony there where expanded gaming fuels huge purses. Although, after watching more than driving, Siegelman and his dad, Jamie, a longtime horseman, packed up six weeks ago. Along with a new patron, Chris Marino, the duo moved their home base back to the ‘Mighty M.’ And since Austin did, he’s getting a chance to display his inherent talent for driving harness horses.
Moreover, much to young Austin’s satisfaction, he’s becoming a much-sought-after catch-driver and has been delivering winners for nearly every trainer he has driven for.
Through November 22 at the Mighty M, Siegelman has reined 60 winners from 336 starts, which ranks him eleventh in races won on the local leaderboard. On November 21, the youngster enjoyed his first hat trick, which will undoubtedly be followed by many more.
It’s no secret Austin’s goal is to drive winners and move on to more prestigious racetracks. He hopes to return to Pocono Downs.
“It probably wasn’t a good idea to start my career [at Pocono Downs] since it’s the toughest and most competitive racetrack in the nation,” he said. “But I hope to be back there down the road.”
At the banquet where he received the Rising Star Award, the soft spoken youngster did say that he has one thing that he’d like to accomplish at Monticello next year. “I want to win the Passover Pace and put an end to the dominance by Alan Schwartz and Mike Kimelman in that race.”
(USHWA)