Aaron Merriman became the first driver in the history of harness racing to achieve multiple 1,000-win seasons, nonetheless back to back, when he scored in the twelfth race on Saturday, Nov. 24 at Northfield Park. The triumph was a gate-to-wire victory aboard Zumba in 1:57.3 over a sloppy surface.
Harness racing fans have been counting down Merriman’s victories all over social media, tracking the well-traveled reinsman across the Midwest at racetracks in Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Merriman raised his whip with elation as he crossed the wire to celebrate his historic achievement.
“It was such a good feeling to do something that has never been done before,” said Merriman. “I definitely got caught up in the moment as I neared the wire and knew I had it won.”
Last year Merriman became only the fourth driver in harness racing history to score 1,000 wins in a single year, posting a total of 1,095 victories. It took him only a year to become the first ever to repeat that feat.
“I love to win and I don’t try to look much further ahead than the next race,” said Merriman. “I figure that I will just win as many as I can for as long as I can and keep driving day-to-day.”
Merriman, now just 40, keeps a torrid schedule, driving in over 4,000 races during each of the last five seasons.
“I’m definitely tired, not of winning, just tired,” Merriman said. “I don’t know how long I can or will keep this schedule. But I am for now. Who knows what the future will hold?”
(With files from Northfield Park)