Joe Bongiorno had two major milestones at Yonkers Raceway over the last week. The 30-year-old driver captured his 3,000th career win on Thursday (February 8) guiding Emotions Riches for trainer Travis Alexander. On Monday (February 12) Bongiorno got his first training win of record when Jordan Stratton piloted the veteran import Pat Stanley N to victory in a $30,000 claimer. Bongiorno's success stories at Yonkers aside, when we caught up with him this week the milestones took a back seat to a potential move that will see him leave his home state of New Jersey for Ohio in the next month to begin a new career chapter. "Right now, I'm planning on going out to Miami Valley and driving there," said Bongiorno, who at this point expects to relocate sometime towards the end of March. While the move may come as a surprise to some, it appears as if the young driver is looking to carve out his own niche in the sport after following along with his family in New Jersey. "My mother and father aren't happy about it, but it's something I want to try for myself," said Bongiorno. "They race for good money out there and the cost of living is a lot lower." While Bongiorno got his first win at age 16, he's come a long way in the sport and much of his talent has been recognized by the sport's leading trainers. It's no accident that he's won major races for trainers Tony Alagna and Ron Burke. He guided Alagna's American History to a Breeders Crown victory in 2019 at Woodbine Mohawk Park. A year later he posted another upset for Alagna, capturing the Little Brown Jug with Captain Barbossa. In 2015, Bongiorno was entrusted with a 2-year-old trotter from the Ron Burke stable and guided Make Or Miss to a victory in the prestigious Valley Victory to cap off the season. That Donato Hanover-sired colt had trouble staying on-stride before Bongiorno got in the bike, and not only did the young driver keep him trotting, but managed a 1:54 career-best effort in the process. While Bongiorno didn't want to single out one specific race, he did credit those trainers. "There's been a lot of good horses and I'm grateful to Tony Alagna and Ron Burke and my sister Jenn for giving me the opportunity," said Bongiorno. Was there a victory that came as a surprise to Joe of his record 3,000 total? "I'd have to say that Hellabalou winning the Borgata was unexpected," Bongiorno said. "I could sense heading to the gate that others weren't geared up to leave. I just took him out of there hard and he got into a great spot." Bongiorno's alert actions at the start put the 47-1 shot in perfect position. He would yield the lead to Yannick Gingras behind This Is The Plan and then overtake them to capture the $511,000 final last year. While Bongiorno's training record is much lighter with just one victory, there's a chance it could pick up should he take a few horses with him on his venture to Ohio. "Jenn sent out a few horses last year in the $40,000 to $50,000 level and they raced pretty well," said Bongiorno, who thinks he could certainly do the same with the right kind of stock. Yet for now he's more focused on developing clientele to drive for once at Miami Valley before moving to Scioto Downs when it opens in May. "I talked to Virgil [Morgan Jr.] and he thought I wouldn't have trouble picking up drives," said Bongiorno. "Of course, he's got regular drivers now, but there will be opportunities." ► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter What Ohio racing fans are going to gain with Bongiorno in the line-up regularly is a pilot that can make plenty of speed and understands pace at a very high level. While he has competed against the best at Yonkers over the last few years, Bongiorno by no means thinks that will put him above an elite level of driver currently campaigning at Miami Valley. "I do think I'll be able to fit in," said Bongiorno. With Joe leaving his family and sister behind, he did seem confident that the stable will continue to prosper as it has over the last few years. "She's got tremendous help," said Bongiorno. "I think they will be fine." The identity of the stable has changed throughout the years and this winter with the absence of the Meadowlands they've cut back on the number of horses they are racing. That said, the stable is top-weighted in 2- and 3-year-old talent and thus we may start seeing more of them in action a few months from now. While Bongiorno's memory of his driving history is vivid, he is still at odds with some of the tougher moments he had to endure. Specifically in the fall of 2022, Bongiorno got notified at the last minute about a suspension that would begin immediately. "The racing commission notified me right before closing on a Friday that my 20-day suspension would begin on Monday," Bongiorno said of the days he received due to a whipping incident at the Meadowlands. The late ruling put Bongiorno on the sidelines instead of in the sulky behind Zanatta, who would go on to win the Three Diamonds elimination and final for catch-driver Dan Dube. "I had been with that filly from the start training her down as a baby," said Bongiorno. "It was incredibly tough to watch her win from home instead of sitting behind her." The bumps in the road aside, Joe Bongiorno appears set to carve out a new and distinct road to his driving career. Ohio has become a hotbed of driving and training talent and his addition will be a huge benefit to horseplayers looking for a top driver that can deliver. "I'm hoping that I can pick up some horses for the Ohio Sires Stakes," said Bongiorno. "I know Ron [Burke] has his regular guys, but there are times he has more than one horse in a race." Those were the exact conditions that catapulted Bongiorno to capture last year's Borgata final, and there's a good bet he will find himself in the winner's circle somewhere in Ohio this year under like conditions.