Trenton, NJ — When Irishman Jack Killeen arrived in America on his 18th birthday, he landed at the Hollywood Casino at The Meadows race track, GPS in hand. Luckily for the joyful wanderer, he ended up right back where he started and is joyful to now call Western Pennsylvania home.
“I thought I was going to be here, but I went down a path for about a year and a half where I was like, 'I don't even know if I'm going to make it,'” Killeen said. “I was sent around. We'd stay in one place for two or three months and they'd say, 'Oh, let's go to Tioga, let's move somewhere else.' I was juvenile and I thought, 'OK!' After a while, I realized that's not what you do. You find a track and put in the time.”
He became a fixture at The Meadows in 2022 and is building a solid driving career.
In his first year at the track in Washington, Pennsylvania, Killeen was successful in 84 of 330 starts, winning 20 races and earning $248,079 halfway through the season. Last season, the 23-year-old finished 233 times in 869 starts at the Meadows, collecting 55 wins and $648,343.
“Last year, probably in August, I finally felt like I had made it as a rider,” he said. “I had a horse (Whiskey Break) that was pretty good, he won (several) races in a row. That gave me a little confidence.”
In November, Killeen showed his skills on two consecutive Wednesdays at The Meadows. On November 1, he guided 43-1 underdog Swan Legacy to a stunning victory in a $15,900 harness race. The following week, Swan Legacy started at 40-1 and Killeen maneuvered a five-lane comeback to win a $21,200 Open Handicap Trot.
“It's been great,” Killeen said. “I usually just ride (longshots) and see how the trip goes. When I first came back to America, I was the guy that people always wanted to send the longshots to. I've kind of gotten away from that.”
In a total of 253 starts this season, Killeen has won 14 times, been on the winning track in 51 other races and earned $177,130 in prize money.
“It's been up and down so far this year,” he said. “Some weeks are good, some weeks are bad. I think it's not a bad start.”
The foundation for Killeen's arrival in America was laid in the summer of 2018 when Meadows-based rider Mike Wilder and his wife Heather arrived in Jack's hometown of Dublin for the Vincent Delaney Memorial racing festival. Mike was a guest at the event and Jack hit it off with the couple.
Killeen was working as a farrier at Portmarnock Raceway in Dublin at the time, but mostly as a hobby. He would occasionally ride, but the track was only open on Sundays, so there was little choice. Jack had long been a fan of US harness racing and watched performances by some of the great North American horses on YouTube.
The Wilders invited him to stay with them when he came to the States. He accepted the offer in September of that year and soon found his own place to live while helping out in the stables. As a bonus, Killeen received rides from several trainers. In 25 starts, he had three wins, nine top-three finishes and $29,525 in earnings.
“I was able to see what people were doing for a living and that really interested me,” Killeen said. “I actually made my first drive and my first win when I was here on vacation and from then on I was hooked. The Wilders were very special to me. They helped me so much. They helped a lot of people.”
In the following years, Jack commuted between Dublin and Dublin, and during his stay in America his luck took him to many places.
“After about eight months, I said, 'I want to go to Recent Jersey,' and the Wilders said, 'You should go somewhere else and see things,'” Killeen recalled. “They supported me in that.”
So he lived in Jersey and raced at Freehold. He worked in Indiana for a year, spent three winters in Pompano, raced at Tioga Downs for a summer, and raced in a few Recent York Sire Stakes races.
“I don't think there are many racetracks I haven't been to as a driver or spectator,” said Killeen, who chose purple and grey to distinguish himself from most other Irishmen who choose green and white or gold. “I've lived all over the place and worked all over the place. I was trying to find somewhere I could go and The Meadows was the best option.”
In the middle of the 2022 season, he settled back there with his wife Alexandria, whom he met at the Pompano racetrack.
Killeen has been helping Amanda and Jason Shaw ride horses in the mornings, but plans to augment his mileage and visit other racetracks on days when The Meadows is obscure. He has attended races more frequently at Hawthorne, Northfield and Oak Grove.
“I’m trying to expand as long as it doesn’t clash with The Meadows,” Killeen said.
“I used to be really nervous, but after about two or three years here, that went away,” he said. “Now it's basically like a job. I do it every day now, so it's very natural. It's just something that's become a habit.”
During a YouTube interview with Hot2Trot on St. Patrick's Day, Killeen noted that people in his home country don't seem to think his success is a large deal. They get the impression that coming in first is just a way of life for riders.
And why should they think that?
“When I came to the U.S., I won a race and it was posted on Facebook by Harness Racing Ireland,” Killeen said. “So everyone thinks you just come here and win a few races. They don't understand how many races you've lost. They don't understand how strenuous it is to even get into a race worth racing.”
“It took a while. I think if I hadn't left The Meadows the first time, I might be a little further along than I am now, but I really don't know how much further along I would be.”
He obviously had to get used to driving in America and noticed a large difference.
“In Ireland, horses can run on the outside all the time and not get tired because we're not as rapid in the quarters,” Killeen said. “It just took me a long time to get used to the speed.”
Jack has become more than just a regular driver in the USA. He has also become a father, as Alexandria gave birth to Ronan three months ago.
“Ronan is the second most common Irish name and she liked it,” said Killeen, who noted that the baby has helped him deal with adversity on an overall much better level.
“If I'm having a bad day, it all goes away as soon as I walk in the door,” he said. “He just smiles. It doesn't matter if you've been coming in last in every race. He just turns it around.”
Killeen has been finishing last less often of slow as he continues to find his feet in the States. He is safe and sound at The Meadows but still has the urge to move on to bigger ponds.
“I'd like to try the Meadowlands when the guys have the winter off,” he said. “But right now I don't have many plans. It's been nice living in Recent Jersey and racing in Freehold, but I'm pretty joyful where I am now.”
“The only thing I'd really like to do more of is ride more at Northfield, like some of the guys here at The Meadows do. I'd love to do that twice a day. I'm sure (Northfield star) Ronnie Wrenn could assist me with that somehow. Not at the moment, but in a few months I might try it a bit. Ronnie gives good advice.”
As he tackled the various race courses, Killeen not only improved his riding skills but also his ability to communicate in his modern country. Trainer Carl O'Callaghan, a fellow Irishman, was in the Hot2Trot interview with Killeen mentioned above and noted that the Dubliner seemed quite “Americanized.”
“I kind of agree,” Killeen said. “I talk to so many people every day. For the first year or two when I got here, everyone would ask, 'Excuse me, what did you say?' I try to pronounce the words as best as I can. After about a year or two of people not understanding the Irish language, I got tired of it. I changed that a little bit. I came here when I was quite juvenile. I've lived here a quarter of my life now.”
And if he continues like this, that percentage will only get higher.
from Wealthy Fisherfor the USTA
