Rixon jetting off to USA

29 July 2026

ADAM HAMILTON 

TOP young NSW driver Will Rixon will be missing from Aussie form guides for a while after this weekend.

Rixon, 25, is going to the US on a holiday to experience some of the world’s great racing, starting with the upcoming iconic Hambletonian meeting at The Meadowlands.

And he’s got the perfect host.

Rixon will stay with friend and former Aussie star Todd McCarthy, now one of the top drivers in North America for an extended holiday.

“I’ll be taking my driver’s bag, but it’s more about a holiday after a big few years,” Rixon said.

“I want to experience all the great racing over there and I’m excited I’ll be there Hambo time.

“I’m going to stay with Toddy and travel around a lot with him, so if the opportunity comes up for a few drives while I’m enjoying the break and the great racing, then I’d love to do it.”

Like McCarthy, who was bred into harness racing, Rixon’s pedigree is outstanding.

His grandfather was the late and legendary Bathurst horseman Tony “A.D.” Turnbull, who has many stars, but he is best known for the champion pacer of the 1970s Hondo Grattan, affectionately known as the “Bathurst Bulldog.”

Hondo Grattan won 58 races, including two Inter Dominion finals (1973 and ’74) and the 1974 Miracle Mile.

Rixon’s mother, Cindy, is an accomplished horse person herself.

And his father, Peter Rixon, famously trained former brilliant pacer Divisive, one of the best of his era and winner of the 2008 Miracle Mile.

Buoyed by the phenomenal success of Down Under drivers Dexter Dunn and Todd and Andy McCarthy, Rixon is one of a few Aussies who have expressed interest in one day giving it a crack in the US.

“Haha. Maybe later, I need a break and this is a holiday for me. I might take a drive here or there, that’s about it for me,” he said.

“Of course you’re in awe of what Dex, Toddy and Andy have done and wonder, but for now I just want to go over and experience it all.”

It continues a big year for Rixon, who scored the biggest win of his career on star warhorse Max Delight in the $1.25 million Group 1 Nullarbor at Perth’s Gloucester Park on April 17.

It was his fourth Group 1 win as he nears 1000 career wins.

Maybe Rixon will reach the 1000 win milestone in the USA?

Rixon is eight on the Australian Driver’s Premiership this season with 90 wins.

"When I come back, I'm setting my sights on getting a spot in the Ladbrokes Ultimate Driver series. I love everything about the series and it's a real goal to be part of it next year," he said.