Driver Aaron Merriman and trainer Cory Kreiser were honoured as the leading reinsman and conditioner, respectively, of 2025 at Northfield Park on Saturday, Jan. 3.
Merriman seized control of the drivers' standings immediately and went wire-to-wire for his ninth consecutive title. He had another sensational year with 578 victories from 2,255 starts at Northfield, more than doubling his closest competitor. Trailing Merriman in the standings were Chris Lems (281), Justin Irvine (249), Kurt Sugg (240), and Dan Noble (225).
On the national stage, 2025 marked Merriman’s best season in terms of wins since 2019 as he eclipsed 900 victories for the first time since that year. He led the nation in wins for the 12th straight year, finishing with 922. The 47-year-old Ohio native, who began his career in 1997, now boasts more than $136 million in career earnings. With 17,096 lifetime tallies, Merriman ranks third on the all-time wins list in North America, sitting 936 behind Tony Morgan and 4,366 behind Dave Palone, the only driver to surpass the 20,000-win milestone.
While the driving title was a runaway, the training crown traditionally unfolds as a season-long battle. But for the second consecutive year — and third time overall — Kreiser proved dominant, leading all trainers with 199 wins, beating his 2024 total of 197. Following Kreiser were Sam Schillaci (151), Edward Miller (112), Ron Burke (109), and Keith Kash Jr. (63).
Nationally, Kreiser ranked sixth in total wins, compiling 228 victories across all tracks. It was the second-best season in both wins and purse earnings for the Kreiser barn. Kreiser is rapidly approaching $10 million USD in career earnings, currently standing at $9,271,597 USD.
The 2026 season is already underway. Northfield currently races four evenings a week on Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.
(Northfield Park; photo of Aaron Merriman on Nov. 22, 2023)