With nine months of the harness racing calendar complete, Trot Insider provides an update on the national leaderboard for drivers and trainers at the three-quarter mark of 2023.
James MacDonald has a clear lead in the earnings category for Canadian drivers, and the two-time O'Brien Award winner looks poised to add another after muscling his way to the top of wins chart.
With $8,184,349 in earnings on Canadian soil as of press time, MacDonald holds a clear lead over Louis-Philippe Roy ($5,460,215) and Sylvain Filion ($4,709,673) to top the nation's reinsmen. MacDonald had the lead at the first quarter of 2023 and maintained that lead at the halfway mark.
The dash title is somewhat closer. Where Tyler Borth fronted the field in this category at the end of March and the end of June, MacDonald edged ahead of Borth as the calendar turned to October. MacDonald's 328 tallies north of the border tops Borth's 322 to date. Roy (251) rounds out the top three.
Brandon Campbell's 0.452 UDRS for drivers with more than 200 drives is not only the best in Canada, it's the best in North America. The top gun at the tracks in Alberta and British Columbia, Campbell sports a summary of 228-165-111 from 788 Canadian starts this season. He fronts Guy Gagnon (0.432) and Paul Langille (0.384) in this category.
Given his consistent numbers, it's no surprise that trainer Richard Moreau tops the standings for wins and earnings on Canadian soil once again. Aiming for his 11th straight title as Canada's Trainer of the Year, Moreau's $3,864,929 bankroll and 216 wins places his stable at the top of those respective leader boards.
On the earnings side, Ron Burke sits second as the calendar flipped from September to October. His Canadian contingent banked $1,143,020 thanks to five top-five finishes on Mohawk Million night — sweeping the top two spots with T C I and Tennessee Tom to lift his total Canuck bucks accumulated to $1,984,115 in 2023. Anthony Beaton is not far off Burke's total with a $1,971,424 bankroll.
Looking at the win leaders, Moreau fronts Jodie Cullen (152) and Kelly Hoerdt (101) thus far in 2023.
Among trainers with 200 or more seasonal starts, Isaac Waxman sports the best UTRS among Canadian conditioners with a 0.434 average followed by Mandy Archer (0.421) and Guy Gagnon (0.420).
***All statistics include Canadian starts from January 1, 2023 to October 2, 2023, with 200 start minimum for URS.
To keep tabs on the season leaders, visit Standardbred Canada's Harness Racing Statistics pages.