Joseph Fiorello, an undefeated rookie driver at age 49, suited up in his designed racing silks and took Prairie Puma for a tour of the track at Sunshine Meadows Equestrian Village on Saturday, Nov. 22 in the Florida Stallion Stakes.

Fiorello guided Prairie Puma to their fourth straight win together in a walkover in the $8,451 division for three-year-old filly pacers. The Royel Millennium-Cat Lady filly, who jogged the mile in 2:14.4 over the 'good' going, is trained by Nicholas Coblentz and owned by Dein Spriggs of Jupiter, Florida.

How does a digital creator for ViaMar Health in Delray Beach go from casually owning a horse to winning his first four drives?

"After I bought my first racehorse with a group in 2016, I met the great horseman Jerry Silverman at Sunshine Meadows," explained Fiorello. "I had never been around horses before, but sitting with Jerry on the deck at the training facility and listening to his passion for the sport pulled me in immediately.

"I started going to the barn before work -- just to watch the horses -- and before long, they were putting me to work," he continued. "As I began jogging and training horses and watching racing more closely, I developed a huge respect for what the professional drivers do -- the timing, the patience, the strategy.”

What began as an interesting hobby has become a fulltime obsession for Fiorello.

"My original goal was wanting to learn how to train horses," said Fiorello. "And I earned my trainer’s license right before COVID, but after training and qualifying my first horse, I definitely caught the bug and set a goal to get my amateur driving license.

"The shutdown of Pompano Park slowed everything down," noted Fiorello. "But I stayed involved, especially getting to jog and train at Sunshine Meadows with Tony Dinges."

An opportunity arose for Fiorello this past year that ended up putting him in the driver’s seat aboard Prairie Puma.

"This winter, when Tony stayed up in Kentucky and owner Dein Spriggs was out of town, they gave me the opportunity to work with Prairie Puma, which helped me keep progressing."

Prairie Puma is trained by Coblentz for amateur driving champion Spriggs. The filly won five of seven starts last year and this season have six wins in 15 starts, the fastest her lifetime mark of 1:51.4 at The Red Mile in Kentucky.

Fiorello loves getting on the racetrack with a horse.

"I've always had a part of me that seeks a little adventure," said Fiorello. "But being behind a racehorse brings out something completely different -- the connection, the speed, the movement -- it’s exhilarating and a lot of fun.

"Going forward, I’ll go wherever I can gain experience and work toward my amateur driver’s license. Most likely, I’ll have more opportunities in Kentucky, and even if it’s just once, I’d love to drive at the Meadowlands.

"Ultimately, my goal is to become an amateur driver because it gives me a way to raise money and build awareness for my River Run Racehorse Retirement center for retired racehorses,” added Fiorello. "Down the road, if more opportunities come along, I’m open to them, but my heart is really in training and supporting the mission of River Run Racehorse Retirement."

Another special project for Fiorello was establishing his River Run Racehorse Retirement, which is based at Sunshine Meadows and takes in retired or unraced racehorses and helps rehabilitate them for life after racing.

“At River Run Racehorse Retirement, we are dedicated to providing retired and unraced racehorses with a safe and meaningful transition into life beyond the track. Our mission is to ensure that every horse receives compassionate care and the opportunity to thrive in their next chapter.”

It would be safe to say that Fiorello has been bitten by the harness racing bug and the results are very positive. After Saturday’s walkover victory with Prairie Puma, there is the Florida Breeders Stakes on Saturday, Nov. 29 that closes out the 2025 season in Florida.

In Saturday's other Stallion Stakes, Coblentz and his three-year-old trotting filly trainee Sunshine Jet won another walkover in 2:03.3. Trainer/driver Mickey Nichol and Gators No Angel took the two-year-old trotting filly event in a 2:19 walkover. Nichol also guided Jays Gator Boy to victory over Coblentz breaker in a 2:07 mile to take the three-year-old male trotting division.

(With files from USHWA; photo of Joseph Fiorello driving on Nov. 15 at Sunshine Meadows)