Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Odds On Racing's

Driver of the Month For May 2005

Dave Magee

Dave Nails Down Career Victory 10,000!
Without question one of the most talented reinsmen ever to hail from the Midwest, Dave Magee is known for being a gentleman both on and off the racetrack. The 51-year-old Magee is the first Chicago-based driver to achieve 10,000 lifetime victories.

Born in Green Bay, Wisconsin on December 4, 1953, Dave grew up in a harnes racing family and began traveling with to the county fairs as a young boy. It was there that he developed a long-lasting love for the sport of harness racing.

Dave's red, white and black colors have been a familiar sight on the Chicago harness racing and throughout many tracks in North America since he sat behind his first horse in the late 1970s.

Dave Magee

Family, friends and fans celebrate with driver Dave Magee in the winner's circle Saturday night, May 21 at Balmoral Park racetrack, after scoring win 10,000 with Up Front Northern.

Dave pilots Sorce Ann to victory in the $102,500 Lady                 Dave & fellow driver Mike Oosting
Ann Reed at Sportsman's Park on July 18, 1996.                            share a laugh at Maywood Park.

Dave began driving at the Wisconsin fairs, and quickly when to Quad City Downs, where he established himself as the leading driver. After a bad spill at the "Downs," he ventured to the Windy City, and the rest is history. Since then, Dave has won titles at every Chicago track, including Maywood, Balmoral, Sportsman's Park and Suburban Downs.

Dave represented the United States in the 1995 World Driving Championship, and after scoring winners throughout the Midwest, was crowned Champion. Just six years later, he received a crown of a different type, upon being inducted into Harness Racing's Living Hall of Fame at Goshen, New York in July 2001.

Dave, Walter "Butch" Paisley & Darryl Busse having fun in 1984.

Dave also won an unprecedented 11 Driving titles at the now-defunct Sportsman's Park, scoring those seasonal victories in 1981, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994 and 1997. He was also the runner-up in both 1995 and 1996 to Tony Morgan. He also held the record of winning the most races during a Sportsman's Park meeting (with 215 set in 1994) until he was bested by Morgan in 1996 of 223 victors. He also won the Maywood title a record 12 times over the years.

Over the years Dave has sat behind some of harness racing finest trotters and pacers, including the great trotter Brandenburg, with home he won the $61,400 Su Mac Lad at Sportsman's Park. In 1994 Dave drove the Illinois Horse of the Year Without Reproach to nearly all of his wins, including the $206,500 Langley Memorial in 1:55 and a State Fair Colt Stake Final, which he won in 1:50--the fastest ever at the time by an Illinois-bred horse and the fastest race mile at Springfield up to that time.

A young Dave Magee...........and..........scoring win #10,000 with Up Front Northern!

He was paired with Dreamaster in 1999, when the youngster was a freshman trotter, scoring eight wins in 13 starts, including the $95,000 American National and a $74,662 Kentucky Sires Stakes leg. At three, Dreamaster scored in the $380,000 Beacon Course Final with Magee at the lines, and won a $70,000 Hambletonian elim too.

Dave has sat behind some of the world's greatest pacers, including local standouts such as Color Me Best, Master Shawn, Ultra Osborne, Barb's Trick and Mr. Dalrae. As well, he's steered some of the finest ship-ins to Chicago's top stakes such as the American National tests: Anniecrombie, Artsplace, Island Fantasy, Continentalvictory, Keystone Raider, Dark Rye, Trump Casino, Odds Against, Cantab Hall, Abra, CC Spice, Shania, and Panned Out, etc.

Dave Magee's Driver Summary
Year    Starts    Wins    2nd     3rd     Money Won    UDRS
2005      762*      136      107      94     $892,338         .298   *updated May 22, 2005
2004      2522      373      337      326      $3,729,314      .265
2003      1852      246      251      223      $2,948,839      .248
2002      2073      288      254      240      $3,713,392      .246
2001      1909      323      253      243      $3,909,765      .285
2000      1873      254      251      252      $3,675,835      .255
1999      1766      261      256      237      $3,278,263      .273
1998      1763      270      279      214      $2,910,645      .282
1997      2175      433      338      295      $3,420,808      .331
1996      1760      347      258      234      $2,641,571      .323
1995      2661      533      420      375      $3,872,158      .335
1994      2742      630      399      322      $4,358,819      .350
1993      2809      553      419      370      $4,020,700      .324
1992      2749      544      433      367      $4,081,149      .330
1991      2354      452      344      291      $3,567,019      .314
1990      2522      396      380      319      $3,455,951      .283
1989      2379      442      337      320      $3,548,179      .309
1988      2164      398      271      278      $3,344,052      .296
1987      2020      345      309      267      $2,672,847      .300
1986      1856      317      246      255      $2,225,895      .290
1985      1422      223      210      186      $1,444,540      .282
1984      1855      270      230      271      $1,946,517      .263
1983      1607      284      213      228      $2,054,917      .298
1982      1928      370      285      247      $2,382,740      .317
1981      1538      280      210      173      $1,632,765      .295
1980      1538      229      219      196      $1,725,002      .270
1979      1331      217      174      163      $1,205,358      .276
1978      1254      205      162      157      $918,127         .277
1977      788        136      120      112      $221,709         .305
LTD Total          10,000*                       $79,799,214*         *updated May 22 2005

Dave scores the magic number in Balmoral's Eighth Race with Up Front Northern
Dave Magee scored career victory 10,000 in Balmoral Park's $8,750 Eighth Race on Saturday night, May 22, with the six-year-old gelding Up Front Northern in 1:52.1. Dave's red, white and black colors have been a familiar sight on the Chicago harness racing and throughout many tracks in North America since he sat behind his first horse in the late 1970s.

"I feel very fortunate to be in this position," Magee said. "I really have never concentrated on the numbers over the years. I was always focused on things that were important to me, like integrity, honesty and personal relationships with the people I drove for. I figured if I stuck to my guns in those respects, that the numbers would follow naturally."

Davie had scored win number 9,999 earlier in the night in Balmoral Park's $7,500 Third Race, an Cardinal elimination for three-year-old state-bred colts and geldings with Team Hutch. The sophomore son of Sportsmaster took the lead at the half and never looked back, pacing in 1:52.3 and winning by nearly five lenghts.

“When I first started driving horses I didn’t think that this would become an occupation,” Magee said. “But I just got very lucky. I can honestly say, also, that I’ve never taken my success for granted. I’m always very thankful to be in this position.”
DaveTonyQualy

Two Champs at work: Dave & Tony Morgan side by side at Maywood Park, 2005
...together this pair has over 19,000 wins between them!!