Heading into the final quarter of the 2024 harness racing season, Trot Insider takes a look at some of the top ranked Standardbreds in Canada for wins, earnings and records.
Hugh Heff boasts 20 wins to not only lead all Standardbreds in Canada but across North America as well. After winning 14 races in Ontario out of the Gerard Demers and Mandy Archer stables, the four-year-old Betterthancheddar-Danika Patrix gelding joined the Dana Getto stable in late August in Nova Scotia where he has been undefeated since, reeling off six straight wins against the top pacers at Northside Downs for his new connections, including driver Randy Getto, who co-owns with Susan MacSween and Wayne Hardy.
Claiming mares Outlaw Spiced Rum, currently campaigned by Chris Lancaster in Alberta, and Watch Her Dewitt, racing in Ontario for Shayne Barrington, are tied for second-most wins in Canada with 14 each.
The top winning trotters with 10 victories each are O Narutac Perfetto, a 13-year-old gelding from the Dean Nixon stable, Jeff Gillis's four-year-old BBC Sportsboy and the Paul Cameron-trained sophomore Wheelzablazin.
One of the star Glamour Boys of the season, North America Cup champion Nijinsky continues to lead all Standardbreds for earnings in Canada having amassed $852,000 with eight wins on home turf for trainer Anthony Beaton and owners West Wins Stable, John Fielding and Mark Dumain. The Bettors Delight-Pirouette Hanover colt has now lost a race on Canadian soil this year, winning the million-dollar North America Cup in addition to the Simcoe Stakes, Somebeachsomewhere Stakes and three Ontario Sires Stakes.
Two-year-old trotting colt Maryland, winner of the Mohawk Million and $575,000 William Wellwood Memorial, ranks second with $791,100 earned in three Canadian starts for trainer Marcus Melander. Next on the leaderboard, just a few thousand dollars separate three-year-old pacing filly Its A Love Thing ($546,850), the $425,000 Fan Hanover Stakes champion trained by David Menary, and undefeated two-year-old pacing filly Chantilly ($541,000), who recently won the $532,000 Shes A Great Lady Stakes for trainer Nick Gallucci.
Another Beaton trainee leads in the speed category as six-year-old Betting Line-Lillian Hanover gelding Linedrive Hanover still holds the Canadian season's record of 1:47.2, taken in the Gold Cup Invitational at Woodbine Mohawk Park on the mid-June North America Cup undercard.
Saulsbrook Victor, trained by Ron MacDonald, is the fastest pacer on a five-eighths-mile track in Canada so far this season courtesy of his 1:49.1 record qualifying mile on Sept. 4 at Grand River Raceway.
Trained by Per Engblom, Huntinthelastdolar's 1:50 victory in the Charles Juravinski Memorial Cup on May 19 at Flamboro Downs still stands as the national season's record on a half-mile track.
Gaines Hanover's dazzling 1:50.2 triumph in an Open Trot on June 15 at Mohawk remains not only the fastest trotting mile so far this season in the nation but is co-fastest all time. Richard Moreau trained the four-year-old Cantab Hall-Gatka Hanover gelding.
Trainer Tim Cherwaiko's Macallan holds the season's trotting record for a five-eighths-mile track in Canada courtesy of his 1:52.3 victory on July 29 at Grand River Raceway. The time equalled the Canadian record for an aged gelding.
Canada's fastest winning time on a half-mile track for trotters so far in 2024 is 1:54, achieved by trainer Jean-Francois Maguire's five-year-old gelding Royalty Beer in his last race on Sept. 13 at Hippodrome 3R.
**All statistics include Canadian starts from Jan. 1, 2024 up to the first Wednesday in October.
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