Allard On Top Of The Heap

At 27 years of age, Simon Allard has seen quite a bit in the standardbred racing industry. The now-full-time pilot has seen success in training. He has seen the Quebec horseracing industry crumble. He has also seen what the view is like from the top of the nation's driving colony after some

poor decisions which took him away from the sport.

Allard now sits atop the pack in terms of driving wins on Canadian soil so far this season. Entering the programs of racing for Wednesday, February 10, Allard sits with 54 wins from 313 starts. He's added 51 second-place finishes and 40 thirds. His U.D.R. is currently settled at an even .305 and he has piloted his mounts to over $378,000 so far this year.

What makes Allard's current run so interesting is that with the depth of talent the Ontario driving colony offers, many would overlook the reinsman. Although, Allard has shown all that he is hungry and willing, and those motivating factors are proving to pay off.

"My love for driving horses really started at the age of eight, when I starting driving and racing ponies with my brothers and dad," he told Trot Insider. "When I turned 19, I decided to start grooming and training standardbreds. I eventually ended up making the move to Ontario, and after three months I was training on my own."

From 2003 to 2005, Allard's stable put up very solid training numbers. In total, his operation sent out 494 starters and won 91 races. Pupils from his stable notched 58 second-place finishes and 65 thirds. Over the three-year span, the stable banked over $704,000 in earnings, but those numbers didn't come without controversy.

Between 2004 and 2005, Allard received a combined $15,000 in fines and 21 months suspension. "I was very successful, but I went from a hero to zero," he said. "I ended up being suspended a few times. I paid my fines, went back home and started working as a landscaper.

"I ended up getting my license back and began driving again in Quebec for my brother (trainer Rene Allard). When I started back, I was only racing on the 'B' track at Trois Rivieres. I ended up doing really well right away, so my brother started using me on all the horses he was racing in Montreal and at Rideau Carleton Raceway."

After going from a lofty point in training success to the low point of having to leave the industry he loved, Simon then focused his energy on elevating his career as a driver -- and elevate he has.

"The 2007 season was really the start of my driving career," he said. "Horses I drove earned over $1 million in purses. I drove to 191 wins, 155 second-place finishes and 126 thirds for a .307 driving average."

After a 2009 season in which he notched 312 wins, drove his mounts to more than $2.6 million in purses and had a driving average of .311, Simon has been riding high so far in 2010. His 54 wins place him first overall in the country (ahead of Paul MacKenzie, 46, and Randy Waples, 45).

"My dream was to be a driver since the first day I jogged a horse. Right now I'm the leading driver in Canada in terms of wins, and I'm very happy. I'm very happy the way it's going because I'm working very hard, driving at 13 racetracks in seven days, including qualifiers. My goal this year is to win as many races as I can, and eventually make it to a 1,000-win career."

And one thing that Simon wants to do is seize the moment, and seize the moment he has. Things taste pretty good when you're number one, but as the old adage goes, things are tough at the top, something that Simon is well aware of, too.

"I might not lead for long the way Jody (driver Jody Jamieson) is winning, but it's the first time it has happened to me in my short career and I'm really enjoying it."