SLIPPERY ROCK — Brady Brown grew up around horses. He learned how to feed them, groom them, take care of them.

And win with them.

Brown, 26, of Slippery Rock has become one of the top harness racing drivers at The Meadows. He won 136 races in 2018 and is well over 100 so far this season.

“His grandfather had horses in the stable next to mine,” longtime horse trainer and owner Steve Schoeffel of Evans City said. “Brady was always hanging around here as a kid.”

Those stables were at the Butler County Fairgrounds. Schoeffel still trains horses out there and Brown spends much of his days there working out and taking care of numerous horses.

He takes “a break” in his day to drive down to The Meadows, compete on the afternoon race cards, then return to the fairground stables.

“I go to the fairgrounds early in the morning, leave around 11 for The Meadows, get back to the fairgrounds around 5:30 and stay until 7:30 p.m.,” Brown said. “That's a typical day.

“It seems long, but the time goes quickly when you love what you're doing.”

Brown said he grew up wanting to be a harness racing driver.

“I was at the track a lot watching the races,” he said. “It looked fast and it looked fun.”

After starting his career driving horses on the Pennsylvania Fairs circuit, Brown got started at The Meadows, with help from Schoeffel.

“Brady was 16 when he started driving,” Schoeffel said. “He just took off with it. Now he's one of the better drivers (at The Meadows).

“Much of a driver's success depends on getting the right horses and driving for the right people. It didn't take him long to build a reputation.”

Brown has guided numerous long-shots to victory this year. He earned the nickname “Downtown” Brady Brown as a result.

As the harness racing season turned into September, Brown's career win total reached 538.

“My goal is to reach 1,000 before I turn 30,” Brown said.

He's on pace to reach that goal with room to spare.

Legendary driver Dave Palone has 18,931 harness racing wins in his 38-year career. Anthony Morgan is second on the all-time list with 16,483 wins. Both drivers remain active.

Tim Tetrick set the single-season harness racing record of 1,189 wins in 2007. He tallied $18 million in winnings that year.

Brown may never approach totals like those, but he has no plans to leave the sport.

“Harness racing is where I want to be,” he said. “Every time I'm on the track, it's an adrenaline rush. You're going fast and it's so competitive. There are plenty of great horses out there.”

Dirk Simpson is one of the trainers Brown drives for often.

“He's such a hard-working guy and very talented,” Simpson said of Brown. “I think it's Brady's work ethic that sets him apart. He knows how to handle horses.

“He doesn't always get the pick of the top horses because there's still three or four (Meadows) drivers ahead of him. He may get that second tier of horses, but he keeps getting the job done.”

And he keeps climbing the ladder.

“I've been getting some better horses, I think, because I have worked my way up (among the top drivers),” Brown said.

“I usually have choices as to what horse to drive, but I try to stay loyal to the trainers I've been driving for.”

Bringing home long-shots isn't as difficult as it may seem, Brown said.

“Horses are better than ever,” he said. “You get a feel for the horse ... Most are capable of winning.”