The Morning Sentinel

HARNESS RACING

Harrington pursues career in harness racing

Richmond High graduate focuses on horses, leaves hockey behind

By Gary Hawkins ghawkins@centralmaine.com
Staff Writer

Andy Harrington seriously considered pursuing a hockey career last summer. The recent Richmond High School graduate had an August tryout lined up with the Shawinigan Cataractes of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

While he waited, he chased another of his passions: Training and driving horses out of his stepfather's stables in New Hampshire. The horses won.

"I was focused on hockey," Harrington said. "I started racing and the bug bit me. I loved it so much I couldn't get away from it."

Harrington, 19, won his first harness race behind Juarez, one of the three horses he owns jointly. It didn't come easily. Juarez bolted on him during an earlier race at Rockingham. "He ran off with me," Harrington said. "I had no control over him. I'm green, I didn't really know what I was doing."

It was a tough, embarrassing lesson for Harrington but he definitely learned from it. For one thing, he got back in the bike behind Juarez at Plainridge Racecourse in Plainville, Mass., and won his first race.

"Me and him get along good now," Harrington said. "It was just a rookie mistake."

Harrington has a capable teacher in his stepfather, John Nason, who is well known in Maine and throughout harness racing. Nason, who owns a stable in Conway, N.H., and is training horses for the upcoming season at the Meadowlands in New Jersey, sees potential in Harrington.

"He has to catch up," Nason said. "Last year was his first year doing it and it's not an easy sport. It just doesn't happen overnight."

Harrington wasn't raised in the sport the way Windsor's Jason Bartlett was. Bartlett has gone on to win two track titles at Yonkers Raceway and last year earned more than $10 million in purses.

"I look up to him so much," Harrington said. "He's always been my favorite driver. He was an athlete like me."

Harrington played well enough for the Maine Moose that former coach Glenn Carey was pretty sure he would hook on with a junior team.

"Whoever gets him is going to be happy," Carey said last summer.

Harrington has since shifted gears, although he still plays men's league hockey once a week. He was also a top soccer player in high school, leading Richmond to a state title his junior year.

Nason sees parallels between Harrington's athletic pursuits and harness racing.

"After awhile it will slow down enough and he'll just have a feel for it," Nason said. "Eventually it will fall into place just like playing hockey."

Harrington concedes a harness racing career will take time, but that doesn't make him any less anxious. His stepbrother Steve is the same age and recently gained his Class A driver's license. But he's been around the sport longer and had to pay his dues, too.

"Steve started slow last spring," Nason said. "In July he was getting maybe four drives a week and in August he took off. That's what's going to happen to Andy."

Harrington is working on building his own stable and hopes to get a few drives at Plainridge this season.

"It's just a big adrenaline rush," he said. "Once you do it, you get hooked on it."

Gary Hawkins -- 621-5638

ghawkins@centralmaine.com