Dan Noble would rather not be thinking about the North American driver standings, but with a little more than five weeks remaining until the end of the year, he cannot help himself
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“I really don’t want to have it on my mind, but it’s on my mind now,” said Noble, who entered Tuesday ranked No. 2 in North America in wins, with 701, and trailed leader George Brennan by one. “For the longest time, I wasn’t paying much attention; I would kind of glance at (the standings) once a month.
“Some other guys would look every night and I’d tell them I really didn’t want to see it,” he said, adding with a laugh, “Now I look every night to see how close we are.
“It’s getting down to a pretty good battle. It’s going to be close.”
Brennan and Noble, who are both seeking their first titles, have gone back and forth in the top spot in recent weeks and are on pace for one of the closest finishes in history. In 1981, Eddie Davis edged Herve Filion, 404-403, although Filion subsequently was awarded another win so the record book now reflects a tie.
The next closest finish was in 1975, when Daryl Busse claimed the honor, 360-358, over Walter Paisley. There have been three occasions since 1946 when the margin was three victories.
Brennan this year rose to the top of the standings in May and battled Tim Tetrick, who is currently third with 677 victories, through the summer. Tetrick held the advantage in September, but Noble won 96 times during the month to thrust himself into the race.
Noble’s September included winning 16 starts at the Delaware County Fair in central Ohio as part of Little Brown Jug week. He was one victory shy of tying the record for most wins during the week, set by David Miller in 1997 and equaled by Brett Miller in 2006.
“I didn’t know it would be such a good week, but it was a very good week,” said Noble, the 28-year-old son of Ohio Hall of Fame horseman Chip Noble. “Things really took off after that.
“It’s been pretty exciting. I would’ve never expected a year like this. It’s been good to me. I’m getting a lot of work and it’s making a lot of things a lot easier knowing that I have that work.”
Noble is the leading driver at Northfield Park, near Cleveland, and at Lebanon Raceway. He also was the top driver in wins at Scioto Downs and at Lexington’s Red Mile.
“It’s been a lot of traveling and meeting a lot of new people,” said Noble, who is attempting to become the first Ohio-based driver to win the title since Walter Case, Jr. in 2002. “I’ve spent a lot of time away from my family, so it’s been tough on them.”
The 44-year-old Brennan is the leading driver at Yonkers Raceway in New York, where he has picked up 645 wins. Brennan’s biggest wins, though, came across the Hudson River in New Jersey in August when he won the Hambletonian with Broad Bahn and Hambletonian Oaks with Bold And Fresh.
Brennan joined Brian Sears as the only drivers to win the Hambletonian and Hambletonian Oaks on the same day.
Last year, Brennan won 622 races, good for fourth in North America, and earned $12.6 million, which was second behind Tetrick. He was voted Driver of the Year by the U.S. Harness Writers Association.
In addition to already surpassing last season’s victory total, Brennan has earned a career-high $13.8 million this year. He is second, again, to Tetrick in the standings.
“Just consistency, I guess,” Brennan said about the key to his success. “I’m driving for good owners and good trainers. That’s the key right there, having live horses to drive.
“Being able to stay healthy and work every day, I’m just glad to do that.”
Brennan is hopeful of winning the title, but believes the schedule favors Noble. Brennan will miss four days in December because of an annual trip to Florida, plus Yonkers has only 22 racing days remaining to Northfield’s 27.
“It’s not that I don’t want to win the title, but it will be tough,” Brennan said. “Danny wins a lot of races and I think he may have a few more days left than I do. It would be great if it ever happened, but I don’t see it happening.”
Noble, who has earned a career-best $2.1 million this year, might add some drives at The Meadows, if possible, while continuing to drive at Northfield, where he has won 370 races this season.
“Right now, since I’ve come so far, it would mean so much to me,” said Noble, who won 313 races last year. “It’s a lot of work, but I’d like to give it the best shot I can. It’s been fun.”
This story courtesy of Harness Racing Communications, a division of the U.S. Trotting Association. For more information, visit www.ustrotting.com.