Now kicking goals on the race track

Jakob White has followed the horses for as long as he can remember and when he started playing football with talented Tasmanian harness racing driver Dylan Ford, he was hooked.

“My mum and dad, Simone and Michael, were owners when I was five or six years old,” White said.

“From then on I was always interested and when Dylan got me a job working with his mum Tammy Langley, who is a trainer, that was it,” he said.

And the enthusiastic 21-year-old put the icing on the cake at Hobart on Sunday (Apr. 23) when he landed his first-ever winner as a driver.

“It was a wicked feeling. I sort of kept cool – and may have given a little salute!” he laughed.

White was successful with Turquoise Stride (Somebeachsomewhere) in the opening heat of the Cavalor Equicare Novice Drivers series for trainer Ben Yole.

After working forward to race outside the leader, White sat quietly and the five-year-old responded nicely to bound away and win impressively by seven metres from Ozzie Major, with a further six metres back to Boltnmach.

“It’s taken me awhile to get my first winner—I think that was my 43rd drive, but it’s great to finally get the monkey off my back,” White said.

“I just love the sport. I love driving and I’m out there learning and getting experience. I’ve got Dylan as a mentor and he can be a bit harsh at times, but he’s just trying to get me to do my best. He’s one of the best going around and while he’s always got a close eye on me, he’s been a huge help.”

White was wanting to drive at meetings while working full time as a stonemason but was finding the combination difficult.

“When Dylan said come and work at his mum’s stables I jumped at it,” he said.

“We start at 5am and then head off to our other jobs at around 6.30am. Then the two of us are back there again at 4.30pm until it’s all done.

“I now work with TasRacing as a groundsman. That involves the gallops and harness racing at Hobart and it’s great.”

White said his parents had horses with former harness racing trainer Brendan Pursell, who is no training greyhounds.

“I’ve also got an uncle, John Luttrell, who trains gallopers over here, so I was probably going to be involved one way or another,” he said.

“My mum just loves that I’m driving, and I reckon she has hardly missed a single meeting. I’ve driven at King Island and got a placing, and now a winner at Hobart, but I enjoy competing at Burnie. It’s interesting as it’s only a small track. I really like it.”

For complete Sunday Hobart race results, click here.