Trot Insider has compiled a list of the leading drivers and trainers at racetracks across Canada through the 2024 harness racing season.
James MacDonald has once again claimed the title of Canada’s leading driver in both wins and earnings for 2024. MacDonald drove winners of 428 races and a total of $9,100,714 in purses throughout the year in Canada.
Travis Henry was hot on MacDonald's heels, finishing the year with 395 wins for second place on the national leaderboard, while Louis-Philippe Roy secured the third spot with 313 victories.
In the earnings category, Roy finished as the runner-up for the third consecutive year, with $7,219,222 in earnings. Doug McNair ranked third, driving horses to a total of $6,125,857 in purse earnings.
On the UDRS front, Brandon Campbell held onto the top spot once again, finishing the year with an impressive UDRS of 0.419. Guy Gagnon (0.416) and Marc Campbell (0.406) secured second and third place, respectively, for the second consecutive year.
Jodie Cullen topped the national standings for training victories, sending out a career-high 241 winners from her stable in 2024. That total ranks seventh best for wins in all of North America. Richard Moreau finished second with 160 wins, while Gerard Demers completed the top trio with 147 victories.
Anthony Beaton claimed the leading trainer title for earnings, with his Canadian starters raking in $2,877,032 in purses over the season. Cullen earned the runner-up spot with $2,520,136 in purses, while Kyle Fellows rounded out the top three with $2,492,199.
Guy Gagnon led the UTRS standings with an impressive 0.436 average in 2024, while Mandy Archer posted a strong 0.397 for the runner-up honours in this category. Jennifer Doyle finished out the top three with a solid 0.390.
For trainers with fewer than 265 starts and a minimum of 10 starts, David Dowling posted a 0.502 UTRS and that was the best average in North America for that category. Another Canadian, Rod Therres, was next best with a 0.481 UTRS.
(All statistics include Canadian starts from Jan. 1, 2024 to Dec. 31, 2024. Minimum 265 starts for UDRS and UTRS.)
Century Downs
Top Driver (Money): Mike Hennessy ($685,251)
Top Driver (Wins): Mike Hennessy (75)
Top Trainer (Money): Brandon Campbell ($554,117)
Top Trainer (Wins): Brandon Campbell (53)
Century Mile
Top Driver (Money): Phil Giesbrecht ($477,386)
Top Driver (Wins): Phil Giesbrecht (61)
Top Trainer (Money): Nathan Sobey (260,382)
Top Trainer (Wins): Travis Ellis (36)
Clinton Raceway
Top Driver (Money): Travis Henry ($99,853)
Top Driver (Wins): Todd Ratchford (23)
Top Trainer (Money): Pat Bissett ($45,772)
Top Trainer (Wins): Pat Bissett (14)
Dresden Raceway
Top Driver (Money): Garrett Rooney ($113,926)
Top Driver (Wins): Garrett Rooney (36)
Top Trainer (Money): Cameron McQueen ($47,756)
Top Trainer (Wins): Cameron McQueen (18)
Flamboro Downs
Top Driver (Money): Samuel Fillion ($822,081)
Top Driver (Wins): Travis Cullen (130)
Top Trainer (Money): Jodie Cullen ($563,383)
Top Trainer (Wins): Jodie Cullen (103)
Fraser Downs
Top Driver (Money): Scott Knight ($596,630)
Top Driver (Wins): Kelly Hoerdt (83)
Top Trainer (Money): Jim Marino ($756,091)
Top Trainer (Wins): Jim Marino (79)
Georgian Downs
Top Driver (Money): Austin Sorrie ($362,372)
Top Driver (Wins): Austin Sorrie (57)
Top Trainer (Money): Kyle Fellows ($119,595)
Top Trainer (Wins): Ron MacDonald (18)
Grand River Raceway
Top Driver (Money): Travis Henry ($376,363)
Top Driver (Wins): Travis Henry (54)
Top Trainer (Money): Gregg McNair ($158,119)
Top Trainer (Wins): Ashley Lendvoy (19)
Hanover Raceway
Top Driver (Money): Samuel Fillion ($110,686)
Top Driver (Wins): Samuel Fillion (24)
Top Trainer (Money): Mark Etsell ($34,750)
Top Trainer (Wins): Robert Jenkins Jr., Pam Forgie (6)
Hiawatha Horse Park
Top Driver (Money): Garrett Rooney ($215,341)
Top Driver (Wins): Garrett Rooney (57)
Top Trainer (Money): Cassidy Schneider ($85,273)
Top Trainer (Wins): Cassidy Schneider, Lindsey Kerr (20)
Hippodrome 3R
Top Driver (Money): Pascal Berube ($339,931)
Top Driver (Wins): Pascal Berube (76)
Top Trainer (Money): Marc-Andre Simoneau ($155,681)
Top Trainer (Wins): Marc-Andre Simoneau (30)
Kawartha Downs
Top Driver (Money): Samuel Fillion ($181,134)
Top Driver (Wins): Samuel Fillion (44)
Top Trainer (Money): Tom Riley ($101,072)
Top Trainer (Wins): Tom Riley (31)
Inverness Raceway
Top Driver (Money): Redmond Doucet ($52,121)
Top Driver (Wins): Redmond Doucet (30)
Top Trainer (Money): Donald Beaton ($26,055)
Top Trainer (Wins): Donald Beaton (22)
Leamington Raceway
Top Driver (Money): Garrett Rooney ($113,296)
Top Driver (Wins): Garrett Rooney (32)
Top Trainer (Money): Cameron McQueen ($40,808)
Top Trainer (Wins): Cameron McQueen (11)
Northside Downs
Top Driver (Money): Adam Merner ($45,203)
Top Driver (Wins): Ryan Campbell (31)
Top Trainer (Money): Earl Watts ($31,618)
Top Trainer (Wins): Ardon Mofford (27)
The Raceway at the Western Fair District
Top Driver (Money): Garrett Rooney ($906,981)
Top Driver (Wins): Garrett Rooney (156)
Top Trainer (Money): Cassidy Schneider (47)
Top Trainer (Wins): Cassidy Schneider ($299,225)
Red Shores Racetrack & Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park
Top Driver (Money): Marc Campbell ($666,061)
Top Driver (Wins): Marc Campbell (171)
Top Trainer (Money): Jennifer Doyle ($261,590)
Top Trainer (Wins): Jennifer Doyle (97)
Red Shores Racetrack & Casino at Summerside Raceway
Top Driver (Money): Corey MacPherson ($220,044)
Top Driver (Wins): David Dowling (65)
Top Trainer (Money): Earl Watts ($87,385)
Top Trainer (Wins): Phil Sizer (17)
Rideau Carleton Raceway
Top Driver (Money): Guy Gagnon ($939,017)
Top Driver (Wins): Guy Gagnon (174)
Top Trainer (Money): Mandy Archer ($547,250)
Top Trainer (Wins): Mandy Archer (99)
The Loop
Top Driver (Money): Michel Rey ($87,990)
Top Driver (Wins): Don Howlett (22)
Top Trainer (Money): Richard Rey ($79,280)
Top Trainer (Wins): Mathew Howlett (20)
The Track On 2
Top Driver (Money): Mike Hennessy ($120,294)
Top Driver (Wins): Mike Hennessy (31)
Top Trainer (Money): Dave Kelly ($74,723)
Top Trainer (Wins): Dave Kelly (17)
Truro Raceway
Top Driver (Money): Paul Langille ($62,012)
Top Driver (Wins): Darren Crowe (26)
Top Trainer (Money): George Rennison ($40,128)
Top Trainer (Wins): George Rennison (27)
Woodbine Mohawk Park
Top Driver (Money): James MacDonald ($8,732,954)
Top Driver (Wins): James MacDonald (407)
Top Trainer (Money): Anthony Beaton ($2,520,396)
Top Trainer (Wins): Richard Moreau (115)
Woodstock Raceway (Connell Park)
Top Driver (Money): Gilles Barrieau ($62,677)
Top Driver (Wins): Gilles Barrieau (15)
Top Trainer (Money): Myles Heffernan Jr. ($51,742)
Top Trainer (Wins): Charles Miles, Wayne Watson (6)
(Standardbred Canada)