FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 20, 2009
JOHN HOGAN REACHES CAREER MILESTONE OF
4,500 WINS AT ROCKINGHAM PARK
SALEM, NH-- For John Hogan, who
established a career milestone of 4,500 wins as a driver on Friday when he
crossed under the wire at Rockingham Park with Southwind Night, the last was
every bit as memorable as the first.
"With that horse, win number 4,500 felt as
good as my first win, "said Hogan, who has been driving standardbreds for 50
years. "I've had that horse for eight years and he's my favorite of
all my horses."
Hogan is a second generation harness horsemen
who grew up on the racetrack under the tutelage of his father, the renowned
Jimmy Hogan, and he was inducted in the New England Harness Writers Hall of Fame
in 2008. Along with the 4,500 wins in the bike and $12,302,559 in purses earned,
he also has 767 victories as trainer and another $3,044,041 in
earnings.
"I grew up doing it all on the track and I started
racing on the ice on frozen Beaver Lake in Derry, New Hampshire when I was 10
years old," Hogan said. "I got my first fair license when is I was 15 and my
first pari-mutuel license when I was 16."
Despite his longevity, the business of racing has
never gotten stale. Hogan's eyes still light up when he talks about his
horses.
"I love racing," said Hogan, who first came to
Rockingham when harness meets were added to the program in 1958 and he was just
13. "It's even better now that I'm older. I approach things a lot differently
now and I have a much greater appreciation for the horses. I know what I'm doing
now and why I'm doing it, instead of just going through the steps of the day to
get to the races."
Still, over the years Hogan hasn't changed his
style when he's got the reigns in his capable hands and is in the heat of a
race.
"I like to race in front," he said. "And that's how
I won with that horse yesterday."
When it comes to winning, it looks like Hogan will
be out in front for some time to come.
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