Driver Jimmy Devaux, who lives and breathes harness racing, is realizing a lifelong dream with his burgeoning success.
“When I was growing up, my dad (Butch) was racing horses at Saratoga (Raceway) and Monticello (Raceway) and I spent as much time as I could with him at the barns learning about racing and how to care for the horses,” Devaux told Monticello’s publicity department. “Eventually he let me jog and then train (the horses). I’d loved it and realized that I wanted to make harness racing a career.”
Like many other aspiring drivers of the present era, Jimmy began driving in amateur races. It was at Monticello Raceway in 1990 that Devaux notched his first driving victory.
“You never forget that,” Devaux said with a smile. “It came right here at Monticello Raceway behind Clarich St. Pat. I believe we went in 2:03 and a piece?”
At the end of the 1998 season Jimmy still hadn’t registered 140 winners, but in 1999 his star began to rise. That year local trainers were beginning to avail themselves of Devaux’s services, and he responded by driving 113 winners in just 579 starts.
Off to what appeared would be his break-out year, Devaux’s 2000 campaign was cut short when he was involved in a racing accident which sidelined him for six months. He finished that season with just 96 winners.
“I broke my wrist in a racing accident and it didn’t heal right, so they had to break it again and reset it again,” Devaux explained. “I was getting nervous as many months went by and I began to wonder if my wrist would ever be strong enough to drive again.”
But after nearly a six-month layoff Devaux returned with vengeance. He won the driving title at Monticello in 2002 and has been among the leading drivers at the track year in and year out.
“I’m living a dream. I mean how many people can do something they thoroughly enjoy and make a living doing it,” he said. “I’m a lucky guy.”
(With files from Monticello)
