A happy Brandon Bates gives a “thumbs up” to fans after one of his many winning drives. (Four Footed Fotos)

By Mike Paradise for the I.H.H.A. 

  Brandon Bates is thoroughly enjoying driving at the current Hawthorne Racecourse meeting and by the looks of the driver standings and the number of opportunities the 48-year-old Ohio native is getting, trainers are very happy he made the move to compete in Illinois as well.

  Brandon’s winning percentage at Hawthorne is a lofty 22 per cent, tops among all drivers. While he, or for that matter anyone else is going to catch Casey Leonard (77 winners) as the meet’s leading driver, Bates had four winning drives last night and moved into second place 59.

 Bates has been among the leading drivers at Hoosier for several years and was third in their driver standings before he made the decision to compete at Hawthorne.

 “I enjoyed driving at Hoosier, but I got some days for a track violation that I didn’t agree with and that soured me. I’ve driven at Hawthorne in the past and enjoyed it, so I decided to drive there for their meeting.”

 It’s not a decision that Brandon has regretted.

 “I’m enjoying it. The horsemen there have been very supportive, and I’ve been impressed with the dedication they have for their horses.”

 Brandon’s services have been in demand. He was listed on 20 different horses to drive in Saturday’s card before he whittled it down only to pick-up more catch drives and will compete in all 15 races tonight.

 Bates has been known as a “patient” driver and he is, but not always.  

 “Every race and every horse are different. There are times when you have to be aggressive out there, then again there are times when it makes sense to be patient with your horse. I think you need to be versatile to be successful.”

 In an era where horse racing relays are readily available, Bates takes full advantage of the situation.

 “After the races my routine is to go home and watch the replays, particularly with the drives that I didn’t do well with. Maybe I can pick up something that I can do better with that horse the next time.

 “Preparation plays a big part in being a successful driver. Studying the program and watching replays are essential.”

 Speaking of the Hawthorne program, Brandon has his own thoughts on some things that can be improved.

 “If you’re going to have a Trackmaster race, keep it strictly a Trackmaster race. Adding other conditions or claimers to it skews the race. I realize they want to get as many horses raced on a card but sometimes those added conditions can slant the race.

 “I think the Trackmaster ratings are going in the right direction, but it needs to get better. I believe it’s about a four-week delay between a horse’s start and getting the information of that race on the horse’s current rating. Right now, that’s too long. They’ve got to get that time in between shorten.”

 I agree, what happened a month ago isn’t a big deal when handicapping a race. The current form, however, is a big deal.

 A Merry, Healthy and Safe Christmas to all our readers.