Dan Noble made Northfield Park and harness racing history on Saturday, May 2 as the driver won 11 races on the 15-race card, including 10 straight from races four to 13.
Noble, who is also one of five drivers to win 10 races on a card at Northfield — and has done it twice prior to Saturday — became the first ever to top that tally at the northeastern Ohio track. The reinsman also tied Dave Palone’s North American record of 11 wins on a pari-mutuel card.
On a night in which it seemed he could do no wrong, Noble put the cherry on top as he won the $27,027 Fillies and Mares Open Handicap Pace with Sweet Illousion ($5.60), who never saw the pylons. Starting from post eight, he fired the five-year-old daughter of Sweet Lou-Rose Run Skyler out and had her fourth-over as the field went five in, four out to the quarter in :27. She followed the second-over Lady Rita (Aaron Merriman) three-wide around a tiring Anna Loves Bananas (John Cioccia Jr.) past the half in :55.2, and Noble kept her stacked up to rush to the lead at three-quarters in 1:24.3. Sweet Illousion cleared to the front entering the far turn and held off a closing Track N Field (Justin Irvine) to win by a length in 1:53.1, giving her driver his 10th consecutive win. Birdie Said (Anthony MacDonald) was third. Lionel Watiker trains the winning five-year-old mare for Watiker Racing.
Noble finished fifth in his first start of the night before chalking up his first win in the second, an open-length victory with Coz Im Special ($3.60). After a sixth-place finish in the third, Noble’s tear began. He won the fourth with Ember Lynn ($2.40), sending her first-up to wear down the leader and win by a neck, then got Dancin Suzy ($5.80) home up the passing lane in the fifth. Kant Katch Kenzie ($10) was first-over from just past the quarter but proved unstoppable as she grinded to the front and drew off to a three-length victory in the sixth race, and No Turbulence ($2.60) put forth another impressive effort for Noble in the seventh with a front-stepping 1:56.1 score.
It was more of the same with You Fear Me ($5.60) in the eighth as the mare wired the field, and Survivin Fire ($3.20) was even more dominant in the ninth as she motored to a 6-1/4-length victory in 1:53.1, the co-fastest time on the card. Noble persisted with his speed tactics in the 10th race, sending Uptown Hanover ($3.20) to the top and getting her home a 1:53.2 winner, and his last two scores prior to the Open were, again, produced from the engine. He kept Ponda Diamond ($5.20) out on the first turn in the 11th to get her to the lead, and she held off all challengers to prevail. Mt Camas ($2.60) kicked clear of her rivals at three-quarters to win the 12th by seven lengths, giving her driver his 10th win of the night. Noble's historic evening ended with Sweet Illousion in the Open, as he came up short in the 14th race in an off-the pace try with Better Catch Girl and finished well back in second in the finale. Noble won for nine different trainers — Cory Deyermand and Rocky Loney each supplied two winners while seven others provided one.
Noble, who won 10 races at Northfield twice in a 30-day span last year, now has 203 wins on the season and is third in the North American drivers’ standings. After compiling his second-best yearly win total of 712 last year, he is striking at a remarkable 28 per cent rate in 2026.
(Standardbred Canada)