Coming off a career-best million-dollar season, Joey Putnam is aiming for continued improvement this year. The 23-year-old driver also is hoping for another successful campaign for Putnam Stable star Rockin Nola — a campaign that could see the tandem tackle the Grand Circuit beyond its base in Indiana.
Putnam, the son of trainer-driver Joe Putnam, is in his fifth year as a driver. He won 10 of 59 starts in 2017 and has seen his workload increase steadily in the ensuing seasons. Last year, he won 109 races — just six from his career best 115 in 2019 — and reached $1 million in purses for the first time.
He did most of his driving at Harrah’s Hoosier Park, but also was busy at the Indiana fairs, where he won 32 times and earned a circuit-best $95,640 in purses. The previous year, he topped the circuit with 65 victories.
So far this year, Putnam has looked to stay busy at Miami Valley Raceway in Ohio while waiting for Hoosier Park to reopen in late March.
“I’m gearing up for a big season, hopefully,” Putnam said. “It’s been good (at Miami Valley). We only have two horses racing right now, but I think it’s important to stay driving so I don’t lose my form. Also, I need to keep my name out there because I’m trying to work my way up.
“It’s tough sometimes, though. I’m normally only driving one or two a day and it’s a two-hour drive. Some days, I don’t even get a cheque, but it’s part of the process. At the end of the day, you have to be out there doing it. That’s the only way to learn. I’m learning every day.”
While growing up, Putnam helped his father around the farm, but it wasn’t until he got closer to graduating high school that he started to get serious about driving.
“When I was in high school, I thought I was going to go play college baseball,” Putnam said. “But I started jogging and training a little bit more, and it just went from there. I just enjoy it, I really do. I like being at the farm, training in the morning, going to the fairs, working the track. I like to work. It’s just in the blood. Some days are tough, but there is a lot of reward, too.”
One of the rewards is getting to drive a horse like Rockin Nola. Putnam began driving the female pacer in June 2019 at the age of three. She is a three-time Indiana Sires Stakes champion, and a winner of 21 of 44 races and $564,907 lifetime.
“She’s been a blessing to our family, and to me, she’s been huge,” Putnam said about the now five-year-old mare who is trained and co-owned by his father. “She’s put me on the map, showing that I can do well at a high level with pressure.
“She’s put me in a lot of different race situations as well. Her three-year-old year, I had to adapt to everyone wanting to follow the favourite every week. That was very hard. I found myself getting in bad spots, having to be first-up, not controlling the race like I would have liked. That was a big learning curve. But I got used to driving a top mare, and now, it’s normal. The whole thing has been awesome. She’s so much fun to be around in the barn, to train; she’s spoiled rotten. She’s a dream.”
Last year, Rockin Nola and Putnam competed in the Breeders Crown Mare Pace, which was held at Hoosier Park. Rockin Nola finished sixth in the race, which was won by Dan Patch Award honouree Kissin In The Sand.
“That was pretty cool,” Putnam said. “It’s the best of the best. It was a good experience all around. I wish we could have done a little better, but it was a good time.
“We’re hoping she carries the momentum she’s had the last couple years,” he added. “We’re going to stake her up to a few things outside of Indiana, and if she’s good enough we’re going to go. So, there might be some opportunities to see some other tracks this year. If she has her ‘A’ game, it will be a lot of fun.”
Working alongside his father is another reward for Putnam. Joe Putnam has won 3,043 races as a driver and 1,289 as a trainer.
“He’s a huge influence,” Putnam said. “I couldn’t do it without him, especially letting me drive our stable and letting people see what I could do out there. Without that, it would have never happened. It’s awesome. We work very well together. We have a lot of fun working together, most of the time. He takes care of me, and I try to take care of him. It just works out really well. I enjoy it.”
The Putnams have a 30-horse stable located not far from Hoosier Park. Among their horses are 11 two-year-olds.
“We have a nice mix,” Putnam said. “We’re hoping we can develop something, have them step up. You never know. That’s why we do it.”
(USTA)