Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Sutton Returns to Hoosier

April 4, 2007

Hoosier Park's leading driver last year, Josh Sutton, is set to defend his title during the upcoming Standardbred meet at that track. Faced by decisions on where to race this season, Sutton has decided to return to the Anderson, Ind. track in 2007.

“The driving title last year is what it is,” said Sutton. “I am not worried about going out there and defending it. You just try to go on the track and win as many as you can. I race to make money.”

Temptation has been all around Sutton since establishing himself as a top driver at Hoosier Park. A golden opportunity opened up for him in Chicago this winter. However, possible slot machine legislation in Indiana has brought him back to the Hoosier state.

“With all the talk about possible passage of slot machines at the tracks, I wanted to come back,” said Sutton. “That was really one of my deciding factors. I just like to go where the money is. If the slots do in fact come, I want to be one of the first ones here for that. I am very spontaneous when making decisions.”

Sutton was approached to race with some of the sport’s best when he worked his way onto the Chicago racing circuit late last year. He was among the top-five drivers at Maywood and Balmoral before moving back to Indiana this week.

“The racing secretary in Chicago asked if I was interested in coming there to race,” said Sutton. “I decided to go and try it out. I was going to be racing for bigger purses other than if I had decided to go back to Ohio for the winter. I did well up there. I was holding my own. I was racing with Hall of Fame drivers.”

Sutton has been a huge up and coming racing commodity in recent years. He is a former leading driver at The Red Mile and Thunder Ridge in Kentucky. Last year’s title at Hoosier Park was his first in Indiana as he brought home 85 wins. That is almost 70 more than he had the prior season in 2005 at the seven-eighths mile oval. Sutton first started driving horses in 1999. He has mostly competed on circuits in the Midwest. Sutton is a second-generation horseman, following his father, Jackie, into the business. He plans on racing full-time at Hoosier Park. He will join Don Irvine Jr. and Brian Barnes as the only reinsman competing this season to ever have won a driving title at Hoosier Park.