On Saturday, Sept. 2, Aaron Merriman became just the fourth driver in North American harness racing to reach the 15,000 win mark.
Merriman hit the milestone at The Meadows with So Rockin Ravi in the afternoon's ninth race, his fourth win as part of a five-win day. He joins Dave Palone, Tony Morgan and Herve Filion as the only drivers in North American harness history to achieve that milestone.
“It’s unbelievable when you think about it,” he said, typically nonplussed by his accomplishment, “but if I reflect on anything, it’ll be the next race. There will be a time for reflection but not now. I feel that there’s work to be done. But it does make me feel like I’m doing the right thing. That keeps me going.”
A native of Greater Akron, Merriman learned the business from his father, trainer/driver Lanny Merriman. His mother, who teaches at both Kent State University and Miami University, recently relocated and now lives near her son again.
“It’s great to have her around,” he said. “Please include that.”
Merriman began driving in 1997, got his first win the following year and now has won more than $109.5 million in purses. A big chunk of his wins occurred in the last dozen or so years, when he’s commuted between The Meadows and Ohio tracks. In 2017-2018, for example, he put together back-to-back seasons of more than 1,000 wins, and he’s been the sport’s dash champion for eight consecutive years. Just moments after Saturday’s milestone victory, he hustled off to MGM Northfield Park to drive the evening program there.
That sort of breakneck pace can be injurious to a body’s health — to say nothing of one’s driving record.
“I have zero points on my license, which is a hard accomplishment for me,” he said. “No more rushing for me. If I have to miss a race, I’ll just take the fine.”
As for the bigger questions, such as how long he intends to keep up this pace, Merriman prefers to focus on day-to-day concerns.
“I don’t go with any intention,” he said. “My intention right now is to take a break here and there but keep the people I drive for happy. So it’s a mixture of those two.”
The card started with a Merriman win courtesy Double Metal, who zipped to the front from post five and never had an anxious moment to capture Saturday’s feature, a $15,900 conditioned pace.
Seeyou At TheBeach stalked from the pocket for the entire mile, but once the field turned for home, Double Metal padded his cushion. The five-year-old Betting Line-Double Creme gelding defeated Seeyou At Thebeach by 3-3/4 lengths in 1:49.3, with Warrawee Veloce third.
Tim Twaddle trains Double Metal, who extended his lifetime bankroll to $190,501, for Rick Berks.
Live racing at The Meadows resumes Wednesday, first post 12:45 p.m.
(with files from MSOA)