As the 2024 harness racing season hits the halfway point, Trot Insider provides an update on the national leaderboard for drivers and trainers.
As he’s done in the first quarter and each of the last three seasons, James MacDonald continues to front the field on the driving side for earnings as he nearly tripled his count since the end of March. Canada's reigning 2023 and three-time Driver of the Year, MacDonald's 2024 bankroll of $3,762,551 on Canadian soil leads the way, followed by the 2024 Pepsi North America Cup winner Louis-Philippe Roy ($2,996,213) who worked his way to the second spot and Sylvain Filion ($2,603,134) to round out the nation's top three.
On the dash leaderboard, MacDonald also continues to be the leading reinsman in wins on Canadian soil to 203. Travis Henry worked himself to the second spot with 185 wins, and Tyler Borth moved down a spot to land as the third Canadian driver with 166 wins at the half.
The UDRS category has seen some significant movement since the first quarter, as the new leader becomes 2024 National Driving Championship competitor David Dowling, with an impressive UDRS of .403. Immediately behind the leader is fellow Atlantic Canadian driver Marc Campbell, just shy of that mark with a UDRS of .401. Guy Gagnon, with a UDRS of .391, rounds out the top three.
For the trainers, Canada's perennial leading trainer Richard Moreau is keeping the ball rolling in his court yet again with some stellars numbers. Moreau has accumulated 144 wins, and has bankrolled $2,319,623 to lead the way in Canada. Similar to the end of the quarter this year and halfway mark last year, Jodie Cullen ranks second in both of the categories of wins with 124 and earnings of $1,302,987.
Anthony Beaton has made the show spot for earnings, with his stable accumulating $1,213,500. Gerard Demers retains his spot on the podium in the wins category with 72 tallies so far.
Canadian conditioner Travis Ellis leads the country with the highest UTRS, with a solid .394. Cameron McQueen has worked his way to the place spot, with a UTRS of .381 with Kelly Hoerdt rounding out the top trio with a UTRS of .374.
**All statistics include Canadian starts from January 1, 2024 to June 30, 2024, with 135 start minimum for URS.
To keep tabs on the season leaders, visit Standardbred Canada's Harness Racing Statistics pages.
(Standardbred Canada)