His first trip abroad helped Aussie driver Kyle Symington find himself in the winner’s circle at The Meadowlands

by Debbie Little

A succession of firsts led driver Kyle Symington into The Meadowlands’ winner’s circle.

“I’d never been out of my home state,” said Symington, a native of the port city of Bunbury in Western Australia. “So, last year, I wanted to go on vacation, and I chose America. Obviously, I knew harness racing was so big [in the U.S.] that I thought while I was on the other side of the world, I may as well check it out. And then I got in contact with Noel Daley, and it all kind of just came about pretty naturally like that. He offered me a job this year, and the opportunity. I thought, while I’m young and don’t have too many commitments back home, I may as well take it. Everyone I’ve spoken to has always said, it’s great to travel and see the world while you’re young. It was kind of just a ‘Why not?’ mentality if that makes sense.

“I have a couple of friends back home that now started barns of their own, and once you start a barn, it’s so hard to get away because you have so much responsibility, and the care of the horses. They can’t go anywhere, and they may regret not experiencing it.”

Western Australia is the largest of the six states and two territories that comprise Symington’s land Down Under.

Aussie expat Daley recalls meeting Symington for the first time during that 2024 U.S. visit.

“He just came down and had that week or two with me,” Daley said. “And then he said, ‘Well, I’d like to come back,’ and then it took forever to get the paperwork.”

The original plan was for Symington, who turns 24 next week, to arrive in the U.S. for racing in the summer, but it took him close to four months to get his paperwork cleared.

“It’s an agricultural visa, so I think the base of it is it’s meant to be educational, so learning while you’re on it,” Symington said. “It’s only for people under 30, so it’s like a student visa. I have a year maximum, and then I have to leave.”

Had Symington been able to arrive in July, Daley would have been able to give him more drives.

“This time of year gets quite quiet for us,” Daley said. “It’s not like when the other young kid came from Australia. He actually came at the right time, Jack [Callaghan]. He only came for that three months, but he came spot on the right time when everyone was gone. So, he ended up with a full book of drives at The Meadowlands from the second he walked in.”

Callaghan drove at The Meadowlands in August – just after the Hambletonian – and in September before returning home to Australia.

Symington finally arrived in mid-September and took some time to get acclimated before starting to drive in October. He recorded his first Meadowlands victory in his Big M debut with Daley’s Stay Grounded.

“It was a bit of a shock to me,” Symington said. “Obviously, the horse was suited in that class, but I definitely wasn’t expecting to win my first drive at The Meadowlands. So, that was a nice surprise, but then I think moving forward, it was just getting consistent and more comfortable with driving on the mile track, because that’s so foreign to me, because I’m used to racing on a half most of the time.”

Symington’s home track is Gloucester Park, a half-mile oval in Perth.

Unlike many that have come before him, Symington is not from a harness racing family and never watched racing at The Meadowlands or anywhere else for that matter.

“Well, growing up, I was never in harness racing, so I’ve only been following harness racing for like five or six years now,” he said. “I’ve always ridden horses. My background was eventing, and then I just wanted a weekend job while I was finishing my last couple of years in high school, and there was a pacing stable close to home that one of our close friends was the second trainer for, so, that’s how I got my got started with the pacers.”

There are three phases to eventing: dressage, cross country, and show jumping, similar to an equestrian triathlon.

The majority of Symington’s 72 starts in the U.S. have come at The Meadowlands, where all six of his wins took place.

Two of those wins came for trainer Vincent Ginsburg, including Symington’s first win driving a trotter.

Symington explained that trotters are not as plentiful in Australia as they are here.

“Especially on the West Coast where I’m from,” he said. “There is probably only one trot race a week. I never won on a trotter until I won [two weeks ago] with [Muskingum]. So that was good.”

Symington also has two wins for the Magies, trainer Brian and his wife Judy who owns the horses.

“We love to give the new young drivers opportunities,” Brian said. “Kyle is very professional and personable too. He’s done a great job for us and gives each horse a chance, no matter what class they are in. We appreciate his positive attitude and our horses go well for him. He is certainly an asset to the driving colony at The Meadowlands.”

Symington’s win last Thursday (Dec. 4) with the Magies’ Moonwards Hanover may have been a little extra special since it was his first time winning in his own colors.

“Back home I use the trainer’s colors or owner’s colors if they have them,” he said.

When Symington started driving in the U.S. in October, he drove in the colors of owner Kevin Jeavons, a big supporter of his from back home.

Symington’s own colors are black and gold, perhaps a nod to his home state where gold was discovered in the late 19th century.

Since The Big M likes to give nicknames to drivers, perhaps “Golden State Warrior” might be a good one for Symington since Western Australia is known as the Golden State.

Daley said one of things he likes best about Symington is that he’s not afraid of hard work.

Although Symington’s job is riding horses in the morning for Daley, he’s fine about helping around the barn if needed, as he did back home in Australia.

“They do everything, I mean, literally everything [in Australia],” Dailey said. “They’ve got to get them ready, get out, drive them, come back, strip them, wash them, drive the truck back home, and then pick up another lot. They learn to do it all. He’s a hard worker.”

Daley said he hopes Symington continues to get more opportunities to drive.

“He’s been driving Stay Grounded for me down at Chester, and, you know, he’s made $300,000 but he’s a bit of a stupid horse,” Daley said. “He can get steppy and see things, but Kyle’s great with him. Kyle’s got him leaving the gate every week. I mean, most of the other fellas don’t want to drive him, you know, Andy [McCarthy] and them, they’d rather not drive him. But Kyle just charges out of there, which is good. He sort of just doesn’t take his bull—-. So, he’s used to driving ones that aren’t perfect. You can tell he’s good with horses.”

Symington said he didn’t expect he’d be doing well so quickly, and is looking forward to whatever the future holds for the remainder of his stay.

“I try not to go into things with high expectations, because then I feel like you can just be less disappointed if things don’t work out,” he said. “So, I’m just very thankful that trainers like Brian are giving me opportunities, and hopefully I can make the most of it when they do come.

“I want to race as much as I possibly can, so I’d be happy to travel. I race at Chester for Noel, a little bit at the moment, but mainly it’s just been Sundays, but yeah, I want to drive as much as possible, so if the opportunities are there, I’ll take them.”