Cutting, who turns 25 on Feb. 11, won a total of 152 races and $1.55 million in purses as a driver last year, competing primarily at Saratoga. He took all but ten wins on the half-mile oval, finishing fourth in the standings – behind Jim Devaux, Brett Beckwith and Wally Hennessey.
Additionally, Cutting’s small training operation racked up 31 wins and earned $256,421 in purses. All of his training victories came at Saratoga, where he had a 16.7 percent winning percentage and finished 14th in the standings.
At the end of the season, Cutting received two awards from the Saratoga Casino Hotel/Saratoga Harness Horseperson’s Association: the Johnny Page Driver Breakthrough Award and the Peerless McGrath Trainer Breakthrough Award.
“That was really cool,” Cutting said. “It’s been a really good year. I’m good friends with Brett Beckwith and he suggested we give it a try here. We just took a leap of faith and we made it happen. I’m very grateful to everyone who gave me a chance.”
Cutting began his career in Western Canada (he is from Calgary, Alberta) before enjoying success at Cal Expo, where he won a riding title, and Running Aces in Minnesota. Over the years he also spent time racing on the East Coast, but last year he and his wife, Kendra, were ready to find a more permanent location to call home.
“We were tired of moving around,” Cutting said. “We were looking for a place to base ourselves and be able to race almost year-round, and the way the Saratoga calendar is set up works well. You can race pretty much all year round (February to mid-December) and then you have a six-week break where you can shut down the horses or send them somewhere else to race. You have options. That’s what was most intriguing to us.”
Having his own stable, which fluctuated between five and eight horses last year, helped Cutting settle in Saratoga, because he got to know the horse people at the track, and they got to know him.
“You have to try to break in, so it helps a lot if I have one of my own,” Cutting said. “It gets your name out there a little bit and people can see that you ride a little bit. A lot of the trainers didn’t know me, so it was step by step getting to know them and getting to know the horses. That’s pretty crucial.”
“There is so much to learn, with every horse you sit behind. You have to learn, otherwise you will be lapped.”
Working with his own horses can be helpful, even if he rides horses for other trainers.
“If I learn with my own horses, it can help me with horses I ride for other people,” Cutting said. “Maybe I have an idea or two more than usual.”
However, Cutting has no plans to expand its training operation much beyond current numbers. This year he started with eight horses.
“I don’t want to shortchange my horses and my catch drives,” he said. “I like to put time into both, so I try not to overbook myself.”
Cutting enjoyed a steady workload as a driver at Saratoga as the season progressed. And he finished the game strong, with an 18 percent win rate over the last six weeks, including a nearly 26 percent win rate in December (15 wins in 58 starts).
“It definitely gained momentum as the year went on,” Cutting said. “The most important thing was to adapt to racing over a half mile there. It was a faster pace than out west. You have to be in the race. Obviously you can win anywhere depending on how a race unfolds, but I think in more cases you have to be in the action early.”
“I try to be pretty universal (in terms of driving style). I was a more passive driver in the beginning; I thought I could always learn to be more aggressive. I think I raced more aggressively on the half-mile track than before. I definitely learned a lot.”
Cutting rode through the Meadowlands in January in anticipation of Saratoga’s reopening. He drove three qualifying races in Spa on Wednesday (28 January) and is ready for the start of the new season.
“I rode at the Meadowlands for a while, but I’d like to get back to riding regularly at Saratoga,” he said. “I’ve been on the bike, but it’s nice to be back on the bike at Saratoga.”
A place that now feels like home.
For more information about racing at the Saratoga Casino Hotel, click here.
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