Harness Racing's 2015 Leaders

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Published: January 1, 2016 09:24 am EST

With the 2015 harness racing season complete, Trot Insider has compiled a list of Canada's leading drivers and trainers at racetracks across the country in recognition of their accomplishments.

For the fourth consecutive year, Sylvain Filion topped all drivers in Canada for earnings with his mounts amassing over $6.9 million in purses. The 46-year-old resident of Milton, Ont. was the WEG circuit's leading reinsman and scored his richest wins driving three-year-old pacing filly Wrangler Magic in the $479,000 Fan Hanover Stakes and $223,193 Simcoe Stakes, both at Mohawk Racetrack. He also topped the Ontario Sires Stakes standings with earnings of over $1.6 million through the 2015 program.

Meanwhile, Alfie Carroll emerged as the top dash-winning driver amidst a career year. The 30-year-old reinsman from Iona Station, Ont. drove 408 winners while competing mainly on the Ontario B circuit. He dominated the driver standings at The Raceway at the Western Fair District, where he earned more than half of his 2015 wins. Other highlights include catch-driving winners Sandbetweenurtoes in the $100,000 Ellamony Invitation at Flamboro Downs and Evenin Of Pleasure in the $50,000 Oktoberfest Classic at The Raceway, both for top trainer Richard Moreau.

Moreau, 51, continued his win streak as win leader in the national trainer standings. The resident of Puslinch, Ont. ranked number one for wins for the fourth straight year (with 271). The two-time defending O'Brien Award winner earned his biggest victories with three-year-old pacing filly Ms Mac N Cheese in the Ontario Sires Stakes and Ellamony champion Sandbetweenurtoes, and topped the standings at multiple tracks, including Clinton Raceway, Flamboro Downs, Grand River Raceway and Woodbine Racetrack.

Jimmy Takter, 55, was the top money-earning trainer of the year, with his New Jersey-based stable earning over $4.2 million in purses while competing in Canada. Takter's six Breeders Crown victories at Woodbine were part of a record-breaking day as his $2.69 earnings from the championship card was the highest ever on a single harness racing program. Takter's Canadian earnings were also given a boost by Pinkman's $700,000 Canadian Trotting Classic triumph and Canepa Hanover's $113,953 Simcoe Stakes score.

Once again, 23-year-old Travis Cullen and his stable were a model of consistency throughout the year. The Airdrie, Alta. horseman boasts a nation-leading training average of .524, with career-high stats of 237 wins (second-most in Canada), 117 seconds and 77 thirds from 625 starts. Alberta's top horseman swept the track titles at Century Downs and Northlands Park, and enjoyed his biggest stakes wins with three-year-old pacing filly Fire Watch in the $80,000 Super Final and $70,000 Ralph Klein.

Gilles Barrieau, 51, edged out Cullen as the top percentage driver, with a .510 average before heading south to Pompano Park for the winter. From 440 starts, the Saint John, N.B. horseman won 151 races, with 95 second-place finishes and 62 thirds. Among his highlights were a record fifth Governor's Plate win aboard defending champion D Gs Camme and multiple victories in the Atlantic Breeders Crown and Maritime Breeders Stakes.

Moreau and Takter are both nominees for the O'Brien Award for Trainer of the Year while Filion is a finalist in the Driver of the Year category (with Randy Waples) and Cullen is a candidate for the Horsemanship award (with Dr. Ian Moore).

**All statistics include Canadian starts from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2015.

Century Downs

Top Driver (Money) – Travis Cullen ($1,009,876)
Top Driver (Wins) – Travis Cullen (192)

Top Trainer (Money) – Travis Cullen ($954,514)
Top Trainer (Wins) – Travis Cullen (181)

Clinton Raceway

Top Driver (Money) – Trevor Henry ($133,759)
Top Driver (Wins) – Trevor Henry (24)

Top Trainer (Money) – Richard Moreau ($59,560)
Top Trainer (Wins) – Eric Billings (10)

Dresden Raceway

Top Driver (Money) – Nick Steward ($61,045)
Top Driver (Wins) – Nick Steward (27)

Top Trainer (Money) – Don Rankin Jr. ($24,039)
Top Trainer (Wins) – Don Rankin Jr. (6)

Fredericton Raceway

Top Driver (Money) – Gilles Barrieau ($25,801)
Top Driver (Wins) - Edward Harvey (14)

Top Trainer (Money) – Stephen Mason ($11,651)
Top Trainer (Wins) – Edward Harvey (15)

Flamboro Downs

Top Driver (Money) – Bob McClure ($855,185)
Top Driver (Wins) – Bob McClure (142)

Top Trainer (Money) – Richard Moreau ($327,506)
Top Trainer (Wins) – Patrick Shepherd (77)

Fraser Downs

Top Driver (Money) – Brandon Campbell ($519,802)
Top Driver (Wins) – Brandon Campbell (96)

Top Trainer (Money) – Bill Davis ($477,135)
Top Trainer (Wins) – Bill Davis (79)

Georgian Downs

Top Driver (Money) – Bob McClure ($380,603)
Top Driver (Wins) – Bob McClure (54)

Top Trainer (Money) – Ben Baillargeon ($140,825)
Top Trainer (Wins) – Dean Nixon (12)

Grand River Raceway

Top Driver (Money) – Bob McClure ($279,670)
Top Driver (Wins) – Bob McClure (46)

Top Trainer (Money) – Gregg McNair ($207,753)
Top Trainer (Wins) – Richard Moreau (22)

Hanover Raceway

Top Driver (Money) – Bruce Richardson ($125,897)
Top Driver (Wins) – J Harris (32)

Top Trainer (Money) – John Bax ($64,158)
Top Trainer (Wins) – Patrick Shepherd (10)

Hiawatha Horse Park

Top Driver (Money) – Nick Steward ($92,968)
Top Driver (Wins) – Nick Steward (37)

Top Trainer (Money) – Gord McDonnell ($37,553)
Top Trainer (Wins) – Gord McDonnell (18)

Hippodrome 3R

Top Driver (Money) – Mario Charron ($256,539)
Top Driver (Wins) – Denis St Pierre (48)

Top Trainer (Money) – Dany Fontaine ($171,417)
Top Trainer (Wins) – Maxime Velaye (20)

Kawartha Downs

Top Driver (Money) – Gord Brown ($118,517)
Top Driver (Wins) – Gord Brown (37)

Top Trainer (Money) – Dagfin Henriksen ($35,030)
Top Trainer (Wins) – Dagfin Henriksen (13)

Inverness Raceway

Top Driver (Money) – Alex Macquarrie ($23,285)
Top Driver (Wins) – Alex Macquarrie (30)

Top Trainer (Money) – Joseph Poirier ($11,651)
Top Trainer (Wins) – Heather Hawkins (15)

Leamington Raceway

Top Driver (Money) – Nick Steward ($119,466)
Top Driver (Wins) – Nick Steward (52)

Top Trainer (Money) – Gord McDonnell ($41,580)
Top Trainer (Wins) – Gord McDonnell (18)

Mohawk Racetrack

Top Driver (Money) – Sylvain Filion ($3,607,846)
Top Driver (Wins) – Sylvain Filion (160)

Top Trainer (Money) – Jimmy Takter ($1,317,555)
Top Trainer (Wins) – Carmen Auciello (55)

Northlands Park

Top Driver (Money) – Travis Cullen ($243,391)
Top Driver (Wins) – Travis Cullen (53)

Top Trainer (Money) – Travis Cullen ($252,519)
Top Trainer (Wins) – Travis Cullen (54)

Northside Downs

Top Driver (Money) – John Gerard Kennedy ($23,080)
Top Driver (Wins) – John Gerard Kennedy (31)

Top Trainer (Money) - Clare MacDonald ($17,507)
Top Trainer (Wins) – Heather Hawkins (25)

Red Shores Racetrack & Casino at Charlottetown

Top Driver (Money) - Marc Campbell ($267,730)
Top Driver (Wins) - Marc Campbell & Jason Hughes (113)

Top Trainer (Money) – Jason Hughes ($109,912)
Top Trainer (Wins) – Jason Hughes (78)

Rideau Carleton Raceway

Top Driver (Money) – Guy Gagnon ($582,178)
Top Driver (Wins) – Guy Gagnon (155)

Top Trainer (Money) – Gerard Demers ($372,162)
Top Trainer (Wins) – Gerard Demers (99)

St. John’s Racing & Entertainment Centre

Top Driver (Money) – Shane Forward ($7,091)
Top Driver (Wins) – Shane Forward (26)

Top Trainer (Money) – Scott Forward ($10,406)
Top Trainer (Wins) - Scott Forward (31)

Summerside Raceway

Top Driver (Money) – Gilles Barrieau ($109,748)
Top Driver (Wins) – Walter Cheverie (41)

Top Trainer (Money) – Earl Watts ($39,677)
Top Trainer (Wins) – Jason Hughes (26)

Truro Raceway

Top Driver (Money) – Gilles Barrieau ($86,048)
Top Driver (Wins) – Paul Langille (54)

Top Trainer (Money) – Stephen Mason ($35,345)
Top Trainer (Wins) – George Rennison (43)

Western Fair Raceway

Top Driver (Money) – Alfie Carroll ($1,131,524)
Top Driver (Wins) – Alfie Carroll (234)

Top Trainer (Money) – Victor Puddy ($223,955)
Top Trainer (Wins) – Victor Puddy (43)

Woodbine Racetrack

Top Driver (Money) – Sylvain Filion ($2,642,127)
Top Driver (Wins) – Sylvain Filion (160)

Top Trainer (Money) – Jimmy Takter ($2,767,600)
Top Trainer (Wins) – Richard Moreau (96)

Follow the race for the 2016 national and track titles by clicking on the "Season Leaders," "Top Drivers at Canadian Tracks," or "Top Trainers at Canadian Tracks" links on Standardbred Canada’s statistics page.

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