Young Wilfong Fulfilling His Dream (01-04-11)

Posted Tuesday January 4, 2011            

                                                                   By Mike Paradise

  About a year ago Kyle Wilfong was the 5-10 starting center for the Donovan High School basketball team. Now most nights you’ll find him behind the starting car guiding a horse in a harness race at Balmoral Park.

  “It’s a whole different ballgame for me from when I was still in school and playing on the basketball team,” said Kyle. “But as far back as I can remember becoming a harness racing driver is what I always wanted to do.
 
  “My mom said I’ve always wanted to be around the horses ever since I started walking,” said the 19-year-old who has an older brother and sister pursing goals in other fields. 

  Kyle began driving in 2007 at the age of 16, competing in four Illinois amateur races and winning there of them. He went winless in his six starts (five second place finishes) in 2008 and then drove winning horses in 5 of 7 races in 2009 including the Mid-Western Amateur Drivers Association Championship in Delaware, Ohio, the first ever by an Illinois based driving club member.

  This year after a dozen or so drives in Balmoral qualifying races and several more on county fair tracks, Kyle drove for the first time as a professional at Balmoral on July 18 behind a mare named Littledidsheknow who finished a non-threatening sixth that summer night.

  However three weeks later Kyle rallied the same Danny Dubeansky trained mare from last to first to the delight of longshot players who rewarded with a $123.80 payoff on a $2 winning ticket.

  “It’s a great feeling to be on the racetrack competing against drivers that I’ve always looked up,” said Kyle. “I know I’m the youngest guy out there but so far I’m been getting along with everybody pretty well. I’m learning and I know I’ve got a ways to go. Every night is a learning experience.

   “My dad has always been very supportive of me and he helps me out a lot and so does my grandpa (Lynn),” said the fourth generation Wilfong to be a harness horseman.

  Kyle is the son of trainer Brett Wilfong who races horses both on the Chicago circuit and in Indiana and in 2010 conditioned his 600th career winner.

  “I start off my mornings at the farm feeding the horses and the stalls have to be cleaned,” continued Kyle. “Horses have to be jogged and on most days we’ll go some training miles with them. If it’s a race day then I head out to Balmoral which isn’t far. However Maywood is a couple of hours (100 miles) and this past summer I did some driving in Indiana Downs in Shelbyville (155 miles), so sometimes I get home pretty late.
 
  “Some of my friends come out to Balmoral to watch me drive and they’ve also been supportive. It’s given them a chance to see something different than a baseball or basketball game on TV. It’s been nice to see so many young people at Balmoral.”

    To view Archived Notes and Quotes click here. 

   (Mike Paradise writes an additional weekly column—Trot Topics—in Saturday's The Daily Journal. The Kankakee, IL based newspaper has expanded its coverage of racing at Balmoral Park and welcomes comments and questions on Illinois harness racing. Just e-mail at harnessracing@daily-journal.com.)