Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Odds On Racing's

Driver of the Month
for July 2010

Mike Oosting

They say good things come in small packages.
That’s certainly the case with horseman Mike Oosting, who has been a permanent fixture on the Chicago harness racing since 2001. The 48-year-old Fremont, Michigan native came to Chicago to ply his trade as driver, and has ended up with a career boost that has seen him steer the winners of over $10 million in just five years.

Sporting brown and gold driving colors, and standing just 5’5", Oosting could easily pass for a thoroughbred jockey. But his aggressive driving style makes him seem anything but small when he’s piloting a 1,200-pound pacer in a group of horses traveling at 35 miles per hour.

Mike Oosting

Oosting's best year came in 2008 when he scored 568 wins for $3.9 million in purses. Prior to coming to the Windy City, Oosting’s best year in the Wolverine state was in 1999, when he sported a 46-24-25 record with $349,273 from 213 starts. The last three years on the Chicago circuit he’s averaged well over 2,000 starts per season and over $2 million in purses earned.

"We race over a five-eighths mile at Hazel Park and the rest are primarily half-milers," Oosting said. "Most of the racing in Michigan is of the front-end nature, and after a while it takes it toll on the horses. In Michigan you have a few good, top drivers, but not the number of quality guys that you have here in Chicago."

"Illinois offers a more professional atmosphere of drivers and trainers overall," Oosting said. "Besides the obvious that the money that we race for here is better, all of the horses seem to get their share of money. Plus, we have a good many professional trainers here, men and women that are serious about their horses and the care they give them."

Oosting says he enjoys competing over Balmoral’s mile oval, and that it allows a driver to be more patient with a horse.

"Balmoral is a lot more forgiving, because you have an open stretch and only two big, wide turns," Oosting said. "But as the old saying goes for Maywood, ‘We don’t come here to make friends.’ That’s just the nature of half-mile racing."

As a trainer Oosting has 503 career wins and $2,042,805. His best year in the conditioning ranks came in 2008 when he scored 53 wins with $347,670.

Oosting also took the plunge and became a director of the Illinois Harness Horsemen’s Association since May of 2004.

"I ran for the board so I’d know what was really going on instead of just hearing what was going on," Oosting said. "There are a lot of things the board considers: contracts, negotiations and the like. Instead of just complaining I thought I’d see what it was really all about."

Balmoral is a lot more forgiving, because you have an open stretch and only two big, wide turns

Besides piloting horses, the multi-talented Oosting also enjoys climbing aboard his twin-engine Commanche and heading for the friendly skies.

On a typical day Oosting will qualify horses at Balmoral in the morning, then fly to Springfield for a horsemen’s meeting. IHHA president Tony Morgan often acts as his co-pilot for the journey.

During Springfield and DuQuoin, Oosting shuttled a number of Chicago’s top reinsman back and forth during the State Fair’s harness racing meets, including Morgan, Pat Berry and Andy Miller.

"I can take four drivers with me," Oosting explained. "My plane seats six, but four of us can ride comfortably and then I take two of the seats out so we can have room to store our gear."

Mike Oosting Career Statistics Through July 12, 2010
Year    Starts    Wins   2nds     3rds    Money Won            UDRS
2010      642       175      119      95       $504,231                   0.425
2009      1498      288      231      199      $1,565,257                0.322
2008      2405      568      406      335      $3,976,780                0.376
2007      2396      520      428      337      $3,471,443                0.363
2006      2311      479      369      339      $3,039,722                0.345
2005      2491      418      393      342      $3,210,795                0.301
2004      2460      261      326      305      $2,618,432                0.221
2003      2173      283      301      304      $2,722,359                0.254
2002      2395      434      369      309      $3,548,296                0.310
2001      87           16      6            7      $87,238                     0.249
2000      244         28      32          35      $349,273                  0.235
1999      213        46      24          25      $374,515                   0.318
1998      110        26      23          12      $177,470                  0.389
1997      155        52      24          12      $180,252                   0.447
1996      146        57      23         21      $180,755                  0.526
1995      330       120      61          44      $90,593                     0.511
1994      383         81      66         49      $94,361                     0.350
1993     758       133      134      110      $138,847                   0.322
1992      373         46      70         50      $53,877                     0.272
1991      331         53      53         42      $66,660                     0.291
1990      4              1      0              1      $2,410                       0.333
1988      37           5      6              5      $16,594                     0.270
1987      58            7      8              4      $38,340                     0.220
1986      74            9      10         15      $49,089                     0.264
1985      56           4      10           10      $35,277                     0.230
1984      35            2      4              3      $10,147                      0.149
1983      36            5      6             8      $2,791                       0.306
1982      25           3      0             8      $1,247                       0.227
Total                4,120                           $26,607,051