Fraser Downs driver Jim Marino wants people to know him for himself instead of having them ask if he’s related to Miami Dolphins legend Dan Marino
or PGA Tour golfer Steve Marino or North Vancouver tennis player Rebecca Marino.
He wants to be known as the best standardbred driver in Western Canada, then the best driver in Canada and, finally, the best driver in the world. Why not? It’s an outstanding way to crawl out from under the more famous folks with whom he shares his last name.
“I think Marino is Italian for Smith or something. It’s so common,” grinned the top B.C. driver for the upcoming Western Canadian driving championship Feb. 26 at Fraser Downs.
But it’s tough. He’s the top driver representing the province, even though he isn’t the leading driver at Fraser Downs. American Ed Hensley is, but he doesn’t qualify because of his birth place, so Marino’s first step down the road to notoriety and riches begins with a small pothole.
That and the fact he is no longer the driver of choice for trainer Wayne Isbister had Marino in a bit of a funk which was helped somewhat when he picked up the drive on star 4-year-old filly Mystic Maiden and guided her to a win in the Miss Valentine Final earlier this month.
Winning the Western Canadian Driving championship--Jim Marino will lead veteran Dave Hudon and young Mike Hennessy against Alberta’s Keith Clark, Gerry Hudon and Brandon Campbell of Alberta, Saskatchewan’s Glen LeDrew and Dallas McKee of Manitoba--and the bumps in the road will be filled.
“The Western Driving Championship is a very big deal,” said Marino, who grew up right in Cloverdale and went to Lord Tweedsmuir just up the hill from Fraser Downs. “Jody Jamieson was driving the B tracks in Ontario before he won the Canadian and World championships. Winning the worlds has made his career. They fly him everywhere.”
Jamieson won the World championship in 2001 was second in ‘03 and fifth in ‘05. He has been Canada’s top driver in ‘07 and ‘09.
If your name is Jim and not Dan Marino, there’s nothing wrong with aiming high. Since the 29-year-old has been piloting pacers around Fraser Downs for the last decade, he has never had a shortage of competition from former boss Jim Burke, the generations of Hudons and Bill Davis to Hensley and the Alberta drivers currently on the grounds.
“It makes you better and keeps you sharp,” said Marino.
And you can’t get to the Canadian driving championship without finishing first or second in the Western showdown.
To view entries for Saturday's card of harness racing, please click the following link: Saturday Entries - Fraser Downs.
(GCGC)