Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Odds On Racing's

Driver of the Month for
May 2012

Dean Magee

When you're the little brother of the family, it's not always easy keeping up with your siblings. But that's certainly not the case with the Illinois-based brothers of Dean and Dave Magee.

The 48-year-old Dean, ten years younger than Dave, has certainly been able to kee up with the big boys, including his older sibling. While Dave has racked up Hall of Fame numbers--Dean has put together a pretty decent ledger sheet of 3,402 wins and more than $21.5 million in purses since starting his career in the early 1980s.

Dean Magee

Dean driving a winner at Balmoral in 2012
"People expect me to be like Dave in that I should drive horses the way he does," Dean said. "I don't feel like I'm a natural the way Dave is. He has an extra feel for the horse that I think is second to none. It's never a thing where we sat down and talked about driving, but of course, since we're brothers, he'd give me little tips from time to time and insights into the various particulars of certain horses.

"Dave has influenced me in terms of not taking the races home with you," Dean continued. "He stressed that to me a long time ago and he was absolutely right. If you take the races home, you tend to dwell on negativism. I think if you feel like you're in a slump, you will be. For me, I basically take one race at a time. I think if you have confidence in yourself, then the horse will feel it."

Dean, along with brothers Dave, Keith and Kevin, grew up on a 140-acre farm in Green Bay, Wisconsin owned by their parents, Curt nad Orreine. While Dean was a toddler, his father worked for Ralston-Purina. Curt later opened up his own feed mill, a business now run by Kevin.

Through the years Magee's dad and his uncle Elwood had raced Standardbreds on the Wisconsin county fair circuit, exposing the younger set to the sport. While Dean remained in school, Dave embarked on a driving career of his own. A trip to Quad City Downs in Moline, Illinois one summer to visit his older brother was the final impetus Dean needed to determine his future.

"I was 12 when I went to see Dave at Quad City that first time and I worked for him cleaning stals and jogging horses," Dean recalled. "In my mind, I just couldn't wait to get through school so I could work with the horses. Driving always appealed to me the most, even from the first time I had ever jogged a horse. I was hooked right from the start."
DeanMageedriving

Dean Magee in action at Maywood Park
While in high school Dean received a fair license and then while competing at a fair in Norway, Michigan, he stepped up to "provisional" status. Upon graduation, he went to work for his uncle on a full-time basis, but soon left to drive at the pari-mutuel tracks for some owner-friends.

Dean spent his early career bouncing between Balmoral and Quad City Downs, with short stops at Canterbury Downs and Fairmount Park. He quickly established himself as one of the state's top catch-drivers, with three straight Quad City titles as a testament to his talent. It was then that Dean decided to leave the west end of the Prairie State and head full-time for the Windy City.

"Chicago offered a bigger market and more money," Dean said. "I felt confident after racing all those years at The Downs that I was ready for the big leagues in Chicago. I had wanted to get that kind of experience before I attempted to drive with the top drivers at Sportsman's Park and the other Chicago-area tracks."

Racing in Chicago has since evolved into a year-round endeavor at Maywood and Balmoral Parks. Dean says he makes a conscious effort to adjust his driving styles between Maywood's half-mile oval and Balmoral's once-arounder, but adds that the style of the horse influences his choice in a race morem than the racetrack itself.

I basically take one race at a time.
I think if you have confidence in yourself,
then the horse will feel it."

"Theoretically you should be a little more aggressive at Maywood because it seems like if you're up close there you're apt to do a little better. But then, a horse who races well at Balmoral may not handle the turns at Maywood, so you'd have to make an adjustment for the horse."

Dean studies the program every night prior to his races and says he tries to predict how each race might materialize.

"I try to visualize how the start will unfold," Dean said. "For instance, which horse will be leaving and who might get to the front. I try to get a picture of how well the front-end horses will hang on. I try to position a horse throughout the race to suit that horse's particular style of racing."

Over the years Dean has piloted many top horses, but his favorite is the pacer Happy Mindale, who competed in Chicago in the early 1990s.

"He was a fast horse who was never sound, but he tried so hard every race," Dean said. "I really admired him for his guts. He was racky-gaited and looked really gimpy on the track, but in a race he just forgot about his problems. I also had the pleasure of driving Tavern Talk, who was a very powerful horse that you could do anything with. He was a big baby to drive."

"I really don't see myself doing anything else," Dean said. "If I was to retire from driving I think I'd get a farm with some broodmares and maybe train a few colts for myself. I would like to see my kids (daughter Alexis, 52 and son Taylor, 13) learn the business. I was always told when I was growing up that there isn't a great future with the horses, but it's always been something that I've wanted to do. I can thank my parents for allowing me to make my own decisiobns about it. Both of my kids are crazy about horses right now, and I'd really like them to get involved in some aspect of the business."

Dean Magee Career Driving Statistics (through May 1, 2012)
Year    Starts    Wins    2nds   3rds    Earnings
2012      472          46     45       50      $274,642
2011      1235      190      157      143      $770,983
2010      1079      134      139      123      $554,093
2009      1254       97      123      140      $569,378
2008      1507      139      158      188      $832,769
2007      1392      126      150      151      $802,595
2006      1299        87      111      139      $728,029
2005      1103        71       85      119      $654,800
2004       958        62      77      100      $577,482
2003       727        71       69        90      $1,404,954
2002      1029      128      104      125      $1,464,336
2001      1325      149      163      158      $1,814,082
2000      1396      130      154      171      $1,445,155
1999      1506      146      150      197      $1,322,196
1998      1906      214      217      224      $1,502,944
1997      1677      170      205      211      $1,138,626
1996      2064      271      233      226      $1,611,922
1995      2174      297      274      269      $1,455,395
1994      1818      215      255      224      $1,250,090
1993      1220      145      111      149      $805,704
1992      1851      174      215      209      $1,417,058
1991      1489      182      204      183      $1,007,947
1990      1596      321      257      235      $713,832
1989      1444      270      230      181      $584,132
1988      672        85        79       82      $369,727
1987      758       96       111      104      $235,871
1986      366        32       40         35      $122,176
1985      583        74      78         67      $162,912
1984      284        33       42         24      $66,604
1983       16          3         4          1      $3,985
1982        31          7        4         11      $2,109
1981       41          8      15         4      $2,460
Total                4,173                          $25,668,988