Driver Tyler Smith made harness racing history at Hoosier Park Racing & Casino on Friday, April 15 as he became the youngest driver ever to reach the 2,000-win mark at the age of 23.
Smith came into Hoosier Park’s 14-race card on Friday with 1,999 career driving victories and needed just one more victory to reach the career milestone and stamp his name in the record books.
He accomplished that feat in his first race of the night, race three, steering Au D Lox Bluegrass to a 1:53.2. romp in a division of The Extreme Velocity Pacing Series. Trained by John Merkel, Au D Lox Bluegrass was able to take advantage of an aggressive front-end trip to record her first win of the season. Owned by Luel Overstreet and John Merkel, the sophomore Panspacificflight filly has earned $74,631 in her career.
Scott Zeron previously held the record for youngest driver to reach the 2,000-win plateau after he reached the milestone two months before his 24th birthday. Smith turned 23 in January of 2016.
Smith has been making headlines as a driver since the age of 12 when he became the youngest male driver in harness racing history to record a sub-2:00 race, driving Look Lilly to victory in 1:59.1 in a matinee at the Delaware County Fairgrounds in his home state of Ohio. He also became the youngest driver to reach 1,000 career wins in the bike, a milestone he still holds and reached at Hoosier Park in 2013.
The Washington Court House, Ohio native started driving in 2009 and has since surpassed the $15 million mark in purse earnings. He recorded his best season to date in 2014 when he won 412 races and earned over $3.7 in purse earnings.
Hoosier Park’s Vice President and General Manager, Rick Moore, along with Smith’s friends and family were in the winner’s circle to congratulate and acknowledge his accomplishment.
“On behalf of Hoosier Park Racing & Casino, I’d like to congratulate Tyler on win number 2,000,” Moore noted. “We are so proud of all that he has accomplished and couldn’t be happier he reached this milestone at Hoosier Park. It has been a pleasure watching him race and make harness racing history here with us. We wish Tyler continued success for the remainder of this season and throughout his career. We look forward to watching him win many more races at Hoosier Park Racing & Casino.”
Smith scored a driving double on the evening as he also piloted Halle Shark to the winner’s circle for trainer Joe Putnam in another division of The Extreme Velocity Pacing Series. Smith is currently fourth in the driver standings at Hoosier Park for the 2016 season with nine wins through nine nights of racing.
(With files from Hoosier Park)