Like many 21-year-olds joining the work force, Mike Marx Jr. works very long hours.
PHOTOS BY JEFF GRANIT staff Top: Mike Marx Jr., of Freehold Township, places the bit into the mouth of his horse, Zion Train, at the Tullo Horse Farm in Howell. Above: Marx goes for a training ride with Zion Train. But that is where the comparison ends between him and his peers. You won’t see Marx in a suit and tie. He works outdoors, driving and training standardbred racehorses. The hours are long and the work very hard, but very rewarding at the same time.
“It’s pretty exciting,” noted the Freehold harness driver/trainer. “It’s a lot better than sitting at a desk.
“It’s an adrenalin rush- every race is different,” he added.
Although Marx has been around harness racing almost as long as he can remember, he never really thought of pursuing it as a career. He grew up at the racetrack because of his father, Mike Marx Sr., who has been a driver and trainer in the sport for 30 years. His father recalls having to practically drag his son to the track back then.
Marx played baseball for Freehold Borough High School and went to Brookdale Community College, looking to extend his athletic career. However, a severe ankle sprain brought his hardball career to a finish. Not looking for a 9-5 job that would put him in an office, Marx turned to a sport he knew well, harness racing.
He got his start with ChrisMarino (who stables at Gaitway Farm inManalapan).
“I learned from him,” Marx said.
Something clicked during those apprentice days and Marx took a different view of the sport. He decided that it was for him after all.
Marx, who began his career in 2006, paid his dues in Maryland last summer driving at Ocean Downs (near Ocean City, Md.). He picked up hisAlicense inAugust and returned home to Freehold where he could now race at Freehold Raceway, the Meadowlands, Monticello and Yonkers.
But having a license is one thing, getting drives is quite another.
“It’s hard starting out,” Marx pointed out.
One way to cure the reluctance of owners to let a young driver race their horses is to have your own horses to drive. Marx currently has two pacers that he stables at Tullo Farm in Howell-Seboomookpeakaboo, a 4-year-old gelding and, Blusgirlcanthelpit, an aged filly.
He’s at the farm early every morning, grooming, feeding and training his horses.
“I do all the work,” noted Marx.
After caring for his horses in the morning, it’s off to Freehold in the afternoon. If his horse is on the program, he ships them there. If not, he goes there looking for more drives.
When he’s not driving, he’s studying the other drivers.
“I’ve watched a lot of races,” he said, “They’re like chess matches.”
Marx has found the drivers at Freehold, especially, very welcoming
“All of the guys here at Freehold like CatManzi have been good to me,” he said. “They’re all good drivers. I listen to them.”
Marx’s best day during thewinter/spring program at Freehold has been two wins, a second and a third in four drives.
Stabling at Tullo Farm brings Marx close to his father, who trains horses there.
“He’s my coach; he helps me a lot,” said the younger Marx. “He’s my best friend.”
The elder Marx was not keen on his son becoming involved in the sport because of the current tough times (purses are down at the New Jersey tracks), but he’s had a change of heart watching his son move up the ranks.
“He has a natural ability,” said Marx. “I see a lot of guys try it, and after 200 drives they haven’t gotten any better.
“Every month I’ve seen a big improvement in him,” he added.
Marx Jr. pointed out that his son will watch videotapes of his races afterward, looking for nuances that he needs to work on.
“There are so many things that go on in a race,”Marx Sr. said. “It’s not that easy.”
According to his father, the younger Marx has the right temperament to be a harness driver.
“You have to learn from your mistakes,” he remarked. “Like Cat Manzi told him, ‘You can’t drag it [a mistake] around with you.’ [Mike] is real good at that.”
Meanwhile, with his son learning the ropes so quickly, Freehold Raceway may soon have a new driving mainstay on its program, Mike Marx Jr.