“I want this sport to stick around for young guys like me. We need to highlight our star drivers and horses and introduce the sport to the younger generation via social media.”
For a young man in his early teen years who never had any intentions of getting involved in Harness Racing, Justin Huckabone has made great strides in a relatively short period of time. It seemed like only yesterday that the 21-year-old triumphed in his first pari-mutuel drive at Vernon Downs (the win came with Powerful Love for trainer Scott West). Justin is a third-generation horseman. He is the son of Claude Huckabone Jr. and is the brother of Claude Huckabone II.
Huckabone is well aware that the shortest distance to his goal is a straight line. During a short hiatus this past summer, he became more determined and focused than ever. Huckabone made a pledge to himself. “That (driving) is what I want to do with my life, and I am going to do everything that is takes to achieve that goal,” he related to Monticello Raceway’s media arm. Huckabone is a man on a mission – that was evident during the past few months of live racing at Monticello. He is so driven that he even asked advice and picked the brain of Hall of Famer John Campbell.
Although he learned a lot from his mentor and father when first learning the ropes, Justin’s father didn’t put him down on many of his horses to drive, ironically. Justin noted that “as a green 18-year-old, there were not a lot of drives available to me and it was tough.”
In November of 2015, Justin made the move to Monticello to stake his claim and start paying his dues. “I have to give a lot of credit to Vernon James and Misty Carey, who helped me get started at Monticello Raceway, along with Jennifer Lappe,” said Huckabone. Justin is currently ranked sixth for most wins at Monticello with 38. His UDR is .206.
His aggressive, take-no-prisoners driving style is similar to that of his childhood idols – Walter Case, Jim Morrill Jr. and Ron Pierce. Leading Monticello Raceway driver Bruce Aldrich, praised Justin when he was asked about him. “He is willing to listen to trainers and is not a know it all,” said Aldrich. “He has a good attitude and comes from a good family with roots in the business.”
Fellow driver James DeVaux also had good things to say about Huckabone. “He is safe on the racetrack. He has a lot of talent. He could go places with his talents,” said DeVaux, who added that Huckabone “is a decent trainer, as well.”
Aside from being an up-and-coming talent to the sport, Huckabone is also involved in promoting the industry. “I want this sport to stick around for young guys like me,” Huckabone said during a recent chat in the backstretch. “We need to highlight our star drivers and horses and introduce the sport to the younger generation via social media.”
As the Monticello racing season starts to gear up, Huckabone envisions himself doing triple duty, as he is planning on driving at Monticello Raceway Monday through Thursday; at Vernon Downs on Thursdays; and at Tioga Downs on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
(With files from Monticello Raceway)
