Harness Drivers Killed

Who is the best driver in the country? If you asked any harness racing fan with some semblance of knowledge for the North American market as a whole, you are likely to hear the names Tim Tetrick, Brian Sears and Yannick Gingras. These men are perennial top five finishers in earnings and top 15 in wins each year.If we assume that the above trio are beyond reproach as the best (and I’m not making that statement quite yet), what makes them better than some of the best ever in John Campbell or David Miller? Both Hall of Famers, Campbell is the all time leading money winner among drivers and Miller has won north of 11,000 races. Yet, day in and day out, horses driven by Gingras, Tetrick and Sears garner more public attention by far than any horse driven by Campbell or Miller.

One of the key factors handicappers in harness racing look at is driver changes. A change from Campbell to Gingras is considered a positive in most cases.

Harness Drivers Killed In California

How can the most accomplished driver in history be a downgrade? How is it that on a Friday in May Campbell is not considered a top driver but on the first Saturday in August he is more desirable?With that in mind, I have decided to rank my top five drivers in the sport broken down into two categories. The base requirement is that the driver must regularly compete on the broad scale stakes scene. With all due respect to drivers throughout the country, there is a big difference between competing in a $4,000 claimer and driving in the Hambletonian.For me, no list of top drivers can be cut and dry. I have my “daily” list and my “major race” list.

You simply can’t group the two categories. There are some drivers who shine brightest in the big moment while others consistently bring a top effort every day. Top Drivers – Major Races1-Brian Sears2-Tim Tetrick3-Ron Pierce4-John Campbell5-Yannick GingrasSears and Tetrick probably deserve to be 1 and 1A, but it wouldn’t be fair to hedge like that.

I give Sears the slight edge due to his greater experience and his number of driving titles on multiple-sized tracks. Tetrick is one of the greatest competitors in the sport.

He’d carry the horse across the wire if it meant a win.Few drivers have displayed the penchant for winning when the money is on the line than Ron Pierce. There is a reason he has finished in the top five in earnings 12 of the last 13 years.What can you say about John Campbell?

The man has won the Hambletonian SIX times! At 59 years old he may not be the dominant force every night at the Meadowlands that he once was, but in any one race, he can work out the winning trip as good as any driver.Yannick Gingras is the only driver on my list without a Hambletonian winner. Will that change in 2014 with top prospect Father Patrick? No driver has picked up his game more in the last few years than Gingras. Regardless of horse he is steering, he is always a driver you want to keep an eye on. Top Drivers – Daily1-Gingras2-Tetrick3-Pierce4-Corey Callahan5-Dave PaloneGingras is one of three drivers to make both lists.

His ability to seemingly get a call in every race makes him the bettor’s best friend. You rarely find a race where Gingras sits fifth along the cones and doesn’t give his horse a chance.Tetrick simply makes horses go a bit faster.

His style is a bit more reserved than Gingras but that doesn’t stop him from brining home winner after winner.Pierce doesn’t win as many races as the others on this list but he drives with a certain fearless nature that bettors love. He is never afraid to take a shot leaving from the outside or squeeze through a hole that barely exists.Corey Callahan has seen his star rise quickly. While the least experienced driver in the group, he has displayed the consistent aggressive nature on the track that it takes to be successful. He came to the Meadowlands to face some of the best drivers in the world and has exceeded expectations.Dave Palone has won more races than any driver in the history of the sport.

That alone gives him a spot on my list. Some will argue that he doesn’t face the toughest driver colony in the sport, but wins are wins.What do you think? Who are your top five in each category?.

Dave Miller reached a well-deserved careerhighlight in 2014 with his induction into Harness Racing’s Hall of Fame. Miller also finished second in the NewMeadowlands driver standings with 104 wins and became only the eighth driver inhistory to pass 11,000 career wins. Heis the sport’s fourth leading money-winning driver of all time, passing the$180 million mark in 2014.“The Buckeye” won finals of the Clyde Hirt withAvatartist and the Whata Baron with Captive Audience, two divisions of NewJersey Sires Stakes with the promising two-year-old pacer Dealt A Winner, andfinished second in the Meadowlands Pace with Always B Miki. Miller also made his first appearance atSolvalla Racetrack in Stockhom, Sweden, in an elimination for the Elitlopp withworld champion trotter Uncle Peter.Miller posted two of the fastest miles of hisillustrious career in 2013, both 1:47, with Pet Rock winning the $471,800William Haughton Memorial at the Big M and Shebestingin becoming the sport’sfastest female in history in the $122,500 Tattersalls at The Red Mile. He captured the $250,000 New Jersey Classicwith Lucan Hanover in 1:48.3 and finished fourth in the Meadowlands driver standingswith 89 wins. He also had a pair ofBreeders Crown upsets at Pocono Downs with Uffizi Hanover and Shelliscape. As the first driver in history to hit $100million in a decade, Miller posted a record twelfth season past the $10 millionmark in 2013.Miller got on a roll early in the 2012 meet,winning six series finals in the first four months.

He won his first Hambletonian Oaks withlongshot Personal Style in 1:53.1, hooked up with Jimmy’s Takter’s fearsomefreshmen trotters To Dream On and Corky, and pulled off the NJSS Final-Miss NewJersey double with Sarandon Blue Chip.After dominating the Ohio circuit, Miller has beenan equally formidable force in the Meadowlands driver colony since 1999. He shared his first Meadowlands January-Augusttitle with Luc Ouellette in 2003 and won back-to-back titles during the 2002and 2003 fall meets.A native of Columbus, Ohio, Miller comes from aharness racing family - his father Donny and grandfather Clyde both had publicstables. Miller first started driving in1981, but it wasn’t until 1988 that his career began to soar when he steered153 horses to the winner’s circle, six more wins than he enjoyed in theprevious seven years. He had his firstmillion-dollar season in 1992 and quickly went on to dominate the Ohio circuit,behind the likes of 1995 and 1996 Ohio Horse of the Year Crisp Sahbra. Another one of Miller’s Buckeyeaccomplishments was a nine-winner card on January 10, 1998 at Northfield Park.

He was inducted into the Ohio Harness RacingHall of Fame in 2010.Miller has guided many divisional standouts,including 2000 Trotting Horse of the Year Magician and 2007 Older Pacer of theYear Mister Big. But his greatestaccomplishments thus far were with 2003 Horse of the Year No Pan Intended, whomhe guided to victories in the Triple Crown of Pacing and the Breeders Crown.