In addition to counting the months and days until his 50th birthday next March, Joe Pavia, Jr. has another pair of milestones he's focusing on
before the end of December. He's on the verge of amassing his best career year in terms of earnings and wins in both the training and driving categories.
"What really put me in position to have my best year ever was the season I had at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs," Pavia says. "They are really great to the horsepeople up there. I got on a roll and rode the wave of that. Now, I'm happy for the change of scenery to return to South Florida too."
The 49-year-old horseman hailing from Pennsylvania has been a regular in the Pompano Park training and driving colony since 1983 by his own recollection. Over the next five weeks he'll need twelve driving wins in Florida to surpass his best previous career year in the bike of 2006 when he posed for 331 winner's photographs. For driving earnings, the career winner of 4,554 races for almost $27 million is already in career best year territory with over $3.1 million earned in the bike in 2009.
On the training side, Pavia will need thirteen wins and about $71,000 more in purses by December 31 at The Isle Pompano Park for a new single year career record. In 2008 he harnessed 79 winners for about $1,078,000 as his previous personal single year top statistic.
"My big performer this year was Billie Blue Chip that won the $200,000 Pennsylvania Sires Stakes for us in September," Pavia says of the three-year-old filly by Western Hanover-Molly Can Do It. "I've shipped back to Florida with a big stable of 26 horses. I've always enjoyed training a stable of at least 20 horses in addition to driving my own and catch driving and I don't see myself slowing down anytime soon. Over the years with age and experience, I've tried to develop a stable to train that's like a stock portfolio diversified across a lot of different classes. I still like claiming horses too and they were really good to me this year in Pennsylvania too."
Pavia also brought five yearling colts to Florida for their early lessons over the coming Winter months.
Pavia will make his training and driving debut for the 2009-2010 meet at Pompano Park on Friday evening when he sends out trotter Persistent Spur from the inside post in the second race. He's also been enlisted by trainer Jim Mattison to partner Hypnotize in the $13,000 Fillies and Mares Open Handicap Pace in the third race and trainer Irwin Lubar has hired Pavia to drive Huge Success N in a mares conditioned pace in the fourth race on Friday night.
Joe Pavia, Jr. says he's then going on a well earned vacation to Hawaii with his return full time to the South Florida training and driving colony set for December 11.
(Pompano Park)