Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Odds On Racing's

Personality of the Month
for April 2006

Kevin Mack

Hoosier Park's Kevin Mack wears many hats. Besides being the Racing Secretary, Kevin, 49, has served as as judge, announcer, starter and general manager for the Anderson, Indiana facility.

The Milan, Indiana native earned a Bachelor of Arts in teaching at Earlham College before embarking on a career in harness racing.

Kevin Mack

"Harness racing has been in my blood since I was seven-years-old," Mack said. "I started driving horses when I was 16 and have done it ever since. My father Travis was a big influence on me. As far as the official end of the business goes, Ozzie Cole had a big influence in helping me and encouraging me to be a racing secretary."

Kevin says that the best part of his job is working with the horsemen on a daily basis, and that there really is no "bad" part to his work.

"Once in a while you might have a bad day," he says. "But for the other 99% of the time it's the greatest job in the world. This job is unusual in itself in that though it is basically the same most days, there are unusual things that happen almost on a daily basis."

"My philosophy is to try and balance my job between the track and the horsemen. I want both to do well. Also, trying to make sure the races are competitive for both thorse and the gamblers is important as well."

Kevin says that over the time he has been involved in the business, the onslaught of high speeds by pacers and trotters never cesases to amaze him.

"I'm not talking about the world's best horses here, but about how fast the so-called 'cheap' horses are gonig these days."

"As far as the business itself, the equipment for the horses has improved greatly since I was a youngster, and having the Internet as a tool as well as electronic elegibilites has made my job so much more efficient."

What changes would Kevin make to the harness racing industry if had the power to do so?

"I would implement a policy whereby all penalties would be honored nation-wide. If someone is suspended in New Jersey, then they'd be suspended in Kentucky, Ohio, California and everywhere else too!"

Kevin says he hopes to continue being a racing secretary for many years to come and that he remains an intregal part of the harness racing industry.

2006 Personality Archives
March: Tom Kelley
February: Dick Buxton
January: Walter Paisley