Brandon Simpson drives on. In his second year on the east coast, the 30-year-old native of Illinois continues to chase driving opportunities at racetracks in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania
. This year, as of Sunday, June 12, he has won 105 times, driven his mounts to earnings of $1.01 million and ranks in the Top 10 at three ovals – the Meadowlands, Pocono Downs and Monticello Raceway. He also has won at Tioga Downs, Yonkers and Chester Racetrack.
Last season, Simpson won 189 races and $1.55 million and was named the recipient of the Rising Star Award from the U.S. Harness Writers Association's Monticello-Goshen Chapter. His top triumph came with Not So Slim in the final of the Petticoat Series at Yonkers.
In 2009, Brandon, the son of trainer Dirk Simpson and grandson of Illinois Hall of Famer Buddy Simpson, set career highs with 295 wins and $2.17 million. He has 1,321 lifetime victories and has steered his mounts to $9.07 million. On June 12, while at Chester, Simpson took a few moments to speak with Harness Racing Communications’ Ken Weingartner.
HRC: How is the year going for you? BS: It’s going good. It’s my second year out east, and it started out a lot better than last year. It’s been great. HRC: What’s the key to finding your niche in a new place? BS: People giving you a chance. Owners and trainers saying it looks like that guy is doing OK, so let’s give him a shot. Then you’ve got to do good with them. HRC: Is it tough? BS: It is. There’s already a bunch of amazing drivers out here and you’re trying to work in with some of the best drivers in the world. That’s definitely tough. You just have to do well with the shots you get.
HRC: The winter at the Meadowlands seemed to go pretty well. BS: That was a lot of fun. It’s your dream growing up as a kid to race at the Meadowlands. That opportunity was unbelievable. It was a lot of fun. HRC: Are those the kinds of chances you need to show what you can do? BS: There are so many places to race out here that if you can pick the right spots and get some chances and you do good, people notice you. That’s what you need. It takes some help and a little luck. I’m just trying to do good and make money for people.
HRC: What’s your schedule like now? BS: It’s getting a little crazy. New York Sire Stakes are starting up, so I’m doing some of those. I went back to the Meadowlands (last weekend) and I’ve been going to Pocono a little bit. There are so many places to race, and I like all of them. It’s just hard to make decisions all the time. I’m just glad to have the opportunities.
HRC: As you become better known here, will you try to settle somewhere? BS: I’d like to settle in one area, just for my family so I can have a regular schedule and see them. It’s nice to get back home at night. When you’re traveling all over, it’s tough. That’s the ultimate goal. Right now I’m just trying to work as much as I can and get my name out there. Hopefully, something will catch on. HRC: Where do you live now? BS: Middletown, New York. It’s nice area. And you’re about two and a half hours from everyplace you want to race, which isn’t that bad. There’s a lot of driving, but that’s just part of the work.
HRC: It would be nice if you could hook up with a sire stakes horse that’s going to move onto the Grand Circuit. BS: Something like that would be unbelievable. Maybe down the road, if I keep working hard, people will take notice and give me a shot on something like that. Some of the best ones you can get are the ones that other people pick off of. Maybe I’ll get lucky.
HRC: What’s your goal for the rest of this year? BS: Just to keep going. I’ve had a lot of opportunities. I want to keep putting food on the table for the family. Hopefully I can keep going and winning. Maybe next year I can pick an area and say this is where I do well and have the best opportunity.
HRC: Is it tough to be patient? BS: Yeah, it is. You want to win all the time and you want to do good all the time and you want to make a lot of money for yourself and other people. You might have a bad week and maybe you’re hard on yourself. That’s when you lose some patience. But you’ve just got to keep going. These (other drivers) have put their time in and are great drivers. I just have to put my time in and hopefully I can do the same thing.
HRC: When you were growing up, did you play other sports? BS: I played soccer year-round. I loved it. I was going to go to a little private college and play some soccer there, but I decided I wanted to work with the horses. I ended up going to college later on, at Iowa State. That’s where my wife (Abigail) and I got married. It all works out for a reason. God has a plan for us, you just have to go with it. HRC: What made you want to go to school? BS: Some of my peers told me the horse business would always be here and that schooling is good, even for the horse business. The business aspect you learn in school really helps you out in the horse business. You’ve got to manage your money and make sure you’re not spending a bunch to make a little. Hopefully down the road you save up enough because we don’t have too many retirement plans. That’s a tough thing for horsemen.
HRC: Does it help your interpersonal skills, meeting different people at college? BS: It does. That’s a lot of the business. You’ve got to meet new people and talk to them. You have to have communication, that’s a huge thing. And just making sure you do the right stuff. You don’t want to do people wrong in the business because it will come back to bite you later on.
HRC: Didn’t you manage a restaurant, too? BS: When I was in college. I’m an all-around type of guy. (Laughs). I think I learned more managing a restaurant than I did in school. It was a great ownership group that owned the restaurant and I had full rein of it. I liked it. I wouldn’t want to do it the rest of my life, but I loved it. I worked my way up from bartender. It was nice to be able to do that. It was a fun hangout. We knew 70 to 75 percent of the people by name. It was a good experience.
HRC: How have the family’s ties to harness racing influenced your career? BS: That’s helped me out a lot. I’ve got a great family, very well known and very skilled. They’re always there for me. When things aren’t going your way, they’re there for you. I’ve learned almost everything I know from my family. They’re good role models. HRC: What’s the most important thing you’ve learned?
BS: Be humble. God put us here for a reason. You’ve got to go through the hard times and the good times. You’ve got to take it as you go. My family is great for that.
This story courtesy of Harness Racing Communications, a division of the U.S. Trotting Association. For more information, visit ustrotting.com.