2023 Trainer Bios

TONY ALAGNA

Born: 6/8/1972 – Birthplace: Champaign, IL – Resides: Howell, NJ

Hambletonian wins (1): Ramona Hill, 2020.

Tony Alagna won the 2020 Hambletonian with filly Ramona Hill, driven by Andy McCarthy. She became the fourth filly trotter to win the Hambletonian since it moved to the Meadowlands in 1981 and the 15th overall to capture the sport’s premier event for 3-year-old trotters. She received the Dan Patch Award for best 3-year-old filly trotter.

In 2012, the Alagna-trained My MVP finished third in the Hambletonian, only a neck behind winner Market Share. Later that season, My MVP won the Kentucky Futurity, which is the third jewel in the Trotting Triple Crown (with the Hambletonian and Yonkers Trot).

Alagna trained 2022 Hambletonian Oaks runner-up Pink Coco Chanel as well as 2016 Hambletonian Oaks runner-up Caprice Hill, who was an O’Brien Award winner in Canada at ages 2 and 3.

Last year, Alagna had a career-best season in purses with $9.28 million, good for No. 2 among trainers in North America. He equaled his career high for wins with 212, which he first set in 2021.

Alagna’s stable has earned more than $5 million in purses each of the past four years, finishing second in North America three times and third once.

For his career, Alagna has won more than 2,000 races and $68 million in purses. He got his 2,000th victory on June 18 at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania. He ranks eighth in purses since the inception of official trainer stats in 1991.

Among Alagna’s past stars was Captaintreacherous, who was Pacer of the Year in 2012 and 2013. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2019.

A native of Illinois, Alagna followed his mom, Donna Lee, into the sport. He had a pony at the age of 3, was reading up on pedigrees at 9, and solely responsible for his first horse at 10. Soon after graduating from high school, Alagna was assisting his mom with her stable. After working for several different stables, he went out on his own in 2009.

Benoit Baillargeon

Born: 7/25/1958 – Birthplace: St. Hubert, Quebec – Resides: Guelph, Ontario

Benoit “Ben” Baillargeon appeared in the 2018 Hambletonian with Alarm Detector, who was fourth in his elimination and sixth in the final.

Alarm Detector was the O’Brien Award winner for best 2-year-old male trotter in 2017.

Baillargeon has been among the top money-winning trainers in Canada on an annual basis. In the previous 14 years, he has been in the top five on eight occasions and never been worse than 10th. He best finish during that time came in 2020 when he was second.

His horses have earned more than $1 million in purses for 18 consecutive years and topped $2 million seven times during that span.

Baillargeon’s first full season on Ontario’s Woodbine-Mohawk circuit came in 2001 and he finished fifth in the trainer standings. Within a decade, he twice finished second. Prior to moving to Ontario, Baillargeon had a successful stable at Hippodrome de Montreal.

A native of Quebec, he was introduced to harness racing by his father Gaetan, who trained and drove Standardbreds. His older brother Mario is an accomplished driver, with more than 7,800 wins.

MATT BAX

Born: 5/20/1989 – Birthplace: Ontario – Resides: Campbellville, Ontario

Matt Bax is making his Hambletonian and Hambletonian Oaks debuts. He is in his first season at the helm of the Bax Stable, which previously was led by his father, John.

John Bax was Canada’s Trainer of the Year in 2001 when he stars included Breeders Crown champ Duke Of York, who received the O’Brien Award for best 2-year-old male trotter.

The Bax Stable has had one previous Hambletonian starter, Duke Of York in 2002. He finished second in his elimination and third in the final.

Other past stars included Goodtimes, who was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 2004.

Last year, the Bax Stable set a career high with $1.93 million in purses. Righteous Resolve was the O’Brien Award winner for best 2-year-old female trotter.

Matt Bax’s top win this season came with Southwind Coors in the Goodtimes Stakes on June 17 at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

RON BURKE

Born: 10/16/1969 – Birthplace: Washington, PA – Resides: Canonsburg, PA

Dan Patch Award Trainer of the Year: 2018, 2013, 2011.

Ron Burke is seeking his first Hambletonian trophy after a string of near misses during a three-year span, 2015-2017.

Burke finished second in 2015 with elimination-winning filly Mission Brief, who was beaten by three-quarters of a length by Pinkman. He was second again in 2016 with Southwind Frank, who was beaten by a nose by eventual Trotting Triple Crown winner Marion Marauder. The following year, What The Hill crossed the finish line first but was disqualified for interference in the stretch.

Mission Brief, Southwind Frank and What The Hill all were Dan Patch Award winners during their careers.

Burke has had four previous Hambletonian Oaks finalists, with a best finish of fourth in 2020 with Crucial.

No trainer in history comes close to Burke’s production in terms of wins and purses. He is on his way to leading the sport in both categories for the 15th consecutive year. His nearly 14,000 lifetime victories are more than 6,600 ahead of second-place Virgil Morgan Jr. and his $306 million in career purses are more than $175 million ahead of retired Hall of Famer Jimmy Takter.

In May, Burke became the first person to reach $300 million in North American purses in harness racing history.

Burke took over the family’s training stable from his father Mickey, the 2006 Trainer of the Year, in late 2008. In his first full year, he won 762 races and $14.8 million in purses, totals that he has exceeded every year since. No other trainer has ever won more 663 races or $13.4 million in purses in a year.

He has topped 1,000 wins in a year four times and $20 million in purses nine times. His record totals both came in 2014 when he had 1,093 victories and $28.4 million in purses.

Burke’s past stars include 2017 Horse of the Year Hannelore Hanover, 2014 Pacer of the Year Sweet Lou and 2011 Pacer of the Year Foiled Again, who retired following the 2018 season as the richest harness racing horse in history with $7.63 million in lifetime earnings.

Hannelore Hanover was inducted into the Hall of Fame in July. Sweet Lou was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2021 and Foiled Again was inducted in 2019.

DOMENICO CECERE

Born: 6/23/1981 – Birthplace: Locorotondo, Italy – Resides: Enfield, CT

Domenico Cecere has been the head trainer for Lindy Farms and its various racing stables beginning in 2018. He succeeded Frank M. Antonacci, whose family founded and operates Lindy Farms. Cecere is in his 16th year as a member of “Team Lindy.”

Cecere is appearing in his first Hambletonian final. The Antonaccis and/or Lindy Racing have been involved in the ownership of five Hambletonian winners: Lindy’s Pride (1969), Speedy Crown (1971), Probe (1989) Harmonious (1990) and Victory Dream (1994).

A native of Italy, Cecere moved to the U.S. in 2007. Prior to working for Lindy Farms, Cecere worked briefly for trainer Jan Johnson, a six-time winner of the Hambletonian Oaks as well as a Hambletonian winner.

Last year, Cecere set career highs with 66 wins and $2.28 million in purses. His top victory came with Winner’s Bet in the William Wellwood Memorial at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

DEXTER DUNN

Born: 9/1/1989 – Birthplace: New Zealand – Resides: Millstone, NJ

Dan Patch Award Driver of the Year: 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019.

Hambletonian Oaks wins (1): Bella Bellini, 2021.

Dexter Dunn won the 2021 Hambletonian Oaks with Bella Bellini, trained by Richard “Nifty” Norman. Bella Bellini went on to be named the Dan Patch Award winner for best 3-year-old female trotter. 

He has driven in four Hambletonian finals. Last year, he drove filly Jiggy Jog S, who won her elimination and finished fourth in the final. He was second with Fast As The Wind in the first of the event’s two elims.

 In his previous finals, Dunn was fourth with Soul Strong in 2019 and fourth with Amigo Volo in 2020. Both horses started from post 10. In 2021, he was ninth with Really Fast, who went off stride.

 Dunn was the regular driver of 2022 Horse of the Year Bulldog Hanover, who last July won the William R. Haughton Memorial at the Meadowlands in 1:45.4 – the fastest mile in the history of harness racing. On the same night, Dunn won the Hambletonian Maturity for 4-year-old trotters with mare Bella Bellini.

 A native of New Zealand, Dunn moved to the U.S. in the summer of 2018. Since arriving in the States, he has won more than 1,800 races and earned $56 million in purses. He has been named the Dan Patch Award Driver of the Year each of the past four seasons.

 Dunn led all drivers in North America in purses in 2022, 2021 and 2020. Dunn-driven horses banked $15.19 million last year, $12.93 million in 2021 and $11.15 million in 2020.

 In 2022, Dunn topped the purse standings despite ranking 30th in wins, with 308. He won 59 races with purses of at least $100,000, equating to nearly 20 percent of his total victories. No other driver won more than 36 races worth six figures.

 Prior to moving, Dunn led New Zealand’s premiership in wins for 10 consecutive years from 2008 through 2017. During that span, he won at least 200 races on six occasions and twice finished with 199. He was the first New Zealand driver to win at least 200 races in a season.

 In 2015, Dunn won the World Driving Championship representing New Zealand.

GREGG McNAIR

Born: 5/2/1961 – Birthplace: Walkerton, Ontario – Resides: Guelph, Ontario

Gregg McNair is making his Hambletonian debut.

McNair is approaching 2,600 career wins and $57 million in purses. He finished second in Canadian earnings in 2013 with $2.58 million and has been a fixture among the Top 10 in money for more than a decade.

His stable has topped $1 million in purses each of the past 27 years.

McNair is a five-time winner of the Johnston Cup as top trainer in the Ontario Sire Stakes, with his most recent title coming in 2021.

He worked for Canadian Hall of Fame horseman William “Bud” Fritz before venturing out on his own.

McNair’s son Doug was Canada’s Driver of the Year in 2017. His wife Susie received the 2021 Outstanding Groom Award at the O’Brien Awards.

YANNICK GINGRAS

Born: 8/4/1979 – Birthplace: Greenfield Park, Quebec – Resides: Allentown, NJ

 Hall of Fame: Class of 2022.

Dan Patch Award Driver of the Year: 2017, 2014.

Hambletonian Oaks wins (6): Sorella, 2020; Manchego, 2018; Ariana G, 2017; All The Time, 2016; Wild Honey, 2015; Lifetime Pursuit, 2014.

 Yannick Gingras holds the record for most driving wins in the Hambletonian Oaks with six.

 He won the 2020 Hambletonian Oaks with Sorella for trainer Nancy Takter. His previous five victories came for Takter’s father, Jimmy, in consecutive years, 2014 through 2018.

 Gingras has finished second in the Hambletonian on three occasions. He was runner-up with Ready For Moni in 2020, Southwind Frank in 2016, and filly Mission Brief in 2015. Southwind Frank’s setback came by a nose to Marion Marauder, who went on to win the Trotting Triple Crown (Hambletonian, Yonkers Trot, Kentucky Futurity).

 A third-generation horseman from Quebec, Gingras arrived in the U.S. in 2001 and established himself as a top driver at Yonkers Raceway. In 2003, he received the Rising Star Award from the U.S. Harness Writers Association and in 2004 he moved his base to the Meadowlands. He has won multiple Big M driving titles, most recently in 2022.

 Gingras, who has won nearly 8,600 races lifetime, ranks fourth in career driving purses with $220 million. He led the sport in earnings four consecutive years, 2014-2017.

 He has sat behind three Dan Patch Award Horse of the Year winners: Tall Dark Stranger in 2020, Hannelore Hanover in 2017, and JK She’salady in 2014.

 Among his many other accomplishments, Gingras is known for his association with pacer Foiled Again, who retired in 2018 as the richest horse in harness racing history with $7.63 million in lifetime earnings.

JAMES MacDONALD

Born: 1/10/1986 – Birthplace: Prince Edward Island – Resides: Guelph, Ontario

 O’Brien Award Driver of the Year: 2022, 2021.

 James MacDonald is making his Hambletonian debut.

 MacDonald has received the O’Brien Award as Canada’s top driver the past two years.

 Last year, MacDonald led all drivers in Canada in purses with $9.91 million (the highest total since 2011) and wins with 451, both career highs.

 He also led all drivers in Canada in purses and wins in 2021.

 This season, MacDonald is No. 1 in purses with more than $4.6 million and is second in wins with more than 230.

 MacDonald’s top victory in 2022 came with Linedrive Hanover in the Charles Juravinski Memorial Cup at Flamboro Downs’ half-mile oval in a Canadian-record 1:49.

 For his career, MacDonald has won more than 3,300 races and $58 million in purses.

 MacDonald won the 2017 World Driving Championship, hosted by Canada that year.

 He is the brother of Mark MacDonald and Anthony MacDonald.

ANDREW McCARTHY

Born: 3/31/1986 – Birthplace: Bathurst, Australia – Resides: Swedesboro, NJ

 Hambletonian wins (1): Ramona Hill, 2020.

 Andy McCarthy won the 2020 Hambletonian with filly Ramona Hill, trained by Tony Alagna. It was McCarthy’s second appearance in a Hambletonian final.

 Ramona Hill became the fourth filly trotter to win the Hambletonian since it moved to the Meadowlands in 1981 and the 15th overall to capture the sport’s premier event for 3-year-old trotters. She received the 2020 Dan Patch Award for best 3-year-old filly trotter.

 Last year, McCarthy drove Looks Like Moni in the Hambletonian final. He started from post 10 and finished seventh.

 A native of Australia, McCarthy has raced regularly in North America since 2007. He has won more than 3,300 races and $71 million in purses since arriving.

 In 2021, McCarthy set career highs with 315 victories and $8.72 million in earnings. He ranked No. 5 among all drivers in North America in purses.

 McCarthy is a third-generation horseman. His brothers Todd, who moved to the U.S. in 2020, and Luke, who raced in the U.S. in 2009, are also successful drivers and his father John is a highly regarded trainer.

 Todd McCarthy drove 2022 Hambletonian winner Cool Papa Bell.

 The McCarthy family was selected by the Bathurst Harness Racing Club as its 2016 Gold Crown honoree.

DOUG McNAIR
Born: 12/29/1989 – Birthplace: Windsor, Ontario – Resides: Guelph, Ontario

 O’Brien Award Driver of the Year: 2017.

 Doug McNair is making his Hambletonian debut.

 McNair led all drivers in Canada in purses in 2017 with $6.55 million and was third in wins with 325. Among his victories that year was a 1:46.4 score with pacer Dr J Hanover, which set the record for fastest mile ever in Canadian history (since equaled by Bulldog Hanover and Warrawee Vital). He was named Canada’s Driver of the Year.

 In 2022, McNair set a career high with $7.04 million in purses. He has surpassed $5 million in purses nine times in his career.

 McNair’s top victory last year came with Grace Hill in the Breeders Crown Mare Pace.

 In June of this year at Woodbine Mohawk Park, McNair won the Roses Are Red with Grace Hill and Armbro Flight with Refined.

 For his career, McNair has won nearly 4,400 races and $78 million in purses.

 He is the son of trainer Gregg McNair.

MARCUS MELANDER

Born: 7/1/1992 – Birthplace: Sweden – Resides: New Egypt, NJ

Dan Patch Award Trainer of the Year: 2019.

Marcus Melander is seeking his first Hambletonian trophy. In 2022, he finished second with filly Joviality S, third with Temporal Hanover and fifth with Periculum.

Melander also finished second, third and fifth in the 2019 final, with Greenshoe, Gimpanzee and Green Manalishi S. Greenshoe and Green Manalishi S were elimination winners. Greenshoe was the 2019 Trotter of the Year.

His first Hambletonian was in 2017. He saw Enterprise win his elimination and finish fourth-placed-third in the final. In 2018, Melander-trained Evaluate finished fifth in the final. In 2021, Melander finished sixth with Sonofamistery.

Melander has finished second twice in the Hambletonian Oaks, with Hypnotic AM in 2020 and Iteration in 2021.

In 2019 at the age of 27, Melander became the youngest trainer ever voted Trainer of the Year by the U.S. Harness Writers Association. The recognition came one year after he was named the Rising Star Award winner by the same organization.

A native of Sweden, Melander came to the U.S. and worked for four-time Hambletonian-winning trainer Takter before starting his own stable in late 2014. He is based in New Egypt, N.J., at a farm that was home previously to each the legendary Stanley Dancer, a five-time Hambletonian winner, and Continental Farms stables.

Melander has won more than 470 races and $24 million in purses in his career. Last year, he ranked fifth among trainers in North America with $4.96 million in earnings. His top victory in 2022 came with Oh Well in the Mohawk Million at Woodbine Mohawk Park. He also won the MGM Yonkers Trot with Joviality S.

His uncle, Stefan, won the 2001 Hambletonian as trainer and driver of Scarlet Knight.

 ANDY MILLER

Born: 9/7/1968 – Birthplace: Mattoon, IL – Resides: Millstone Township, NJ

 Hambletonian Oaks wins (1): Creamy Mimi, 2008.

 Andy Miller won the 2008 Hambletonian Oaks with Creamy Mimi, trained by Trond Smedshammer.

 He had three consecutive top-three finishes in Hambletonian finals, 2016 through 2018. Met’s Hall was second in 2018, Devious Man was third-placed-second in 2017 and Sutton was third, beaten only a neck, in 2016. All three horses were trained by Miller’s wife, Julie.

 Miller ranks 13th among drivers in career purses with $138 million. He ranks 21st in all-time wins with nearly 10,000. As of July 30, Miller had 9,986.

 His career began as a teenager on the Illinois fair circuit before establishing himself as a top driver in Chicago. He moved to the East Coast in 2006 and has ranked among the leading drivers at the Meadowlands, finishing as high as third in the standings there.

 Andy and Julie were married in 1996 and started their harness racing stable the same year. Their son Tyler started driving on a regular basis in 2020.

 Miller’s brother Erv was the Dan Patch Award Trainer of the Year in 2005 and ranks among the sport’s top five in all-time training purses and wins.

 Andy Miller has twice represented the U.S. in the World Driving Championship, finishing fourth in 2005 and sixth in 2007.

DAVID MILLER

Born: 12/10/1964 – Birthplace: Columbus, OH – Resides: Robbinsville, NJ

 Hall of Fame: Class of 2014.

Dan Patch Award Driver of the Year: 2016, 2015, 2003.

Hambletonian Oaks wins (1): Personal Style, 2012.

 David Miller won the 2012 Hambletonian Oaks with Personal Style, trained by Richard “Nifty” Norman.

 Miller is seeking his first Hambletonian trophy but has never driven a horse in the final at odds lower than 7-1. He had third-place finishes with Gimpanzee in 2019, Uncle Lasse in 2015, and Corky in 2013. In 2017, he drove What The Hill, who crossed the finish line first but was disqualified for interference in the stretch.

 In 2021, Miller won the Hambletonian Maturity for 4-year-old trotters with Beads for trainer Per Engblom.

 A 2014 inductee into the Hall of Fame, Miller ranks No. 2 all time in purses with $275 million and has finished among the top five in earnings 23 of the past 24 years. John Campbell, now president and CEO of the Hambletonian Society, holds the driving record for North American purses with just less than $300 million.

 Miller is No. 6 all-time in wins among North American drivers. He got victory 14,000 on May 19 at Harrah’s Philadelphia.

 In 2003, Miller led the sport in purses and drove No Pan Intended to the Pacing Triple Crown and Horse of the Year honors. In 2016, he was the driver of Horse of the Year Award winner Always B Miki, who paced the then-fastest mile in harness racing history when he won in 1:46 at Lexington’s Red Mile.

 Miller was the regular driver of 2021 Horse of the Year winner Test Of Faith, who became the fourth 3-year-old female pacer to receive the honor.

 In 2015, Miller set a record with five Breeders Crown wins in a single year.

 Miller, who received the 1993 Rising Star Award from the U.S. Harness Writers Association, was already a standout in his native Ohio when he headed to the East Coast in the late 1990s and has been a force on the Grand Circuit ever since he made the move.

 JULIE MILLER

Born: 11/20/1972 – Birthplace: Iowa City, IA – Resides: Millstone Township, NJ

Julie Miller has had a Hambletonian finalist five of the past seven years.

From 2016 to 2018, Miller posted three consecutive top-three finishes in the Hambletonian. In 2018, Met’s Hall finished second to Atlanta. In 2017, Devious Man was third-placed-second in the final and a year earlier Sutton was a fast-closing third, beaten only a neck, in the race captured by eventual Trotting Triple Crown winner Marion Marauder.

In 2014, Miller-trained Designed To Be finished second in the Hambletonian Oaks while stablemate Take The Money finished third.

On Hambletonian Day in 2009, Miller-trained trotter Lucky Jim won the Nat Ray (now Cashman Memorial) in a then-world-record-equaling 1:50.1 with husband Andy Miller driving at the Meadowlands. Lucky Jim was a Dan Patch Award winner.

Miller has finished in the top 25 among North American trainers in purses 13 of the past 14 years. She has finished in the top 10 six times.

She has won more than 2,250 career races and nearly $52 million in purses. She ranks 16th in purses since the inception of official trainer stats in 1991.

In 2017, Miller was inducted into the Iowa Harness Racing Hall of Fame, where she joined her father, Owen Julius. Miller grew up in Iowa, where her family raced at the county fairs. Miller graduated from Southern Illinois University with a science degree but turned her attention to racing.

After beginning her career in Illinois, Miller moved with her husband, Andy, to the East Coast and became a nationally recognized trainer at the Meadowlands and on the Grand Circuit. Her son, Tyler, also is a driver.

CHRIS RYDER

Born: 10/2/1955 – Birthplace: Greymouth, New Zealand – Resides: Allentown, NJ

Chris Ryder is making his second appearance in the Hambletonian Oaks. His previous starter was Mystical Sunshine in 2004. She finished seventh. Three years later, she was the Dan Patch Award winner for best older female trotter.

Ryder saw his stable earn nearly $4 million in purses in 2022, establishing a new high while extending the best stretch of his already successful three-decade career as a trainer. It was Ryder’s fourth consecutive campaign with more than $2 million in purses, bettering a three-year streak he enjoyed in the mid-2000s.

Last season’s success also followed three years in which Ryder trained three different horses to runner-up finishes in U.S. Horse of the Year balloting: Bettor’s Wish in 2019, Party Girl Hill in 2020, and Niki Hill in 2021.

Ryder has won nearly 1,800 races in his career and $51 million in purses. He ranks 18th in purses since the inception of official trainer stats in 1991.

A native of New Zealand, Ryder began riding ponies at the age of 10. His father was a dairy farmer who later worked at a stable and trained horses. Ryder worked for his father and older brother, who had a stable, before a stint in Montreal as a groom.

Ryder came to the U.S. when his wife, Nicola, got a job in the New York area. He worked several odd jobs before turning to training on a fulltime basis.

His son Patrick assists with the stable.

ANNIE STOEBE

Born: 9/27/1987 – Birthplace: Great Falls, MT – Resides: New Egypt, NJ

Annie Stoebe is making her Hambletonian Oaks debut.

Stoebe got started in harness racing by working for trainer Brett Bittle, who won the 2002 Hambletonian Oaks with Windylane Hanover. She started her own small stable in 2021.

Her top win last year came with Instagram Model in the Jim Doherty Memorial on Hambletonian Day at the Meadowlands.

Stoebe grew up on a farm in Montana and was active as a barrel racer. She got a rodeo scholarship to a college in Texas. After moving to New Jersey nine years ago, she was giving riding lessons when she heard about an opportunity to get into racing and decided to give it a try.

She also has competed as an amateur driver, winning eight times.

BRIAN SEARS

Born: 1/21/1968 – Birthplace: Fort Lauderdale, FL – Resides: Secaucus, NJ

 Hall of Fame: Class of 2017.

Dan Patch Award Driver of the Year: 2009.

Hambletonian wins (3): Pinkman, 2015; Royalty For Life, 2013; Muscle Hill, 2009.

Hambletonian Oaks wins (2): Bee A Magician, 2013; Broadway Schooner, 2009.

 Brian Sears leads all active drivers in Hambletonian wins with three. John Campbell holds the record with six. No other driver has won the race more than four times.

 In 2009, Sears became the first driver to win the Hambletonian and Hambletonian Oaks in the same year. He won the Hambletonian with Muscle Hill for trainer Greg Peck and the Oaks with Broadway Schooner for trainer Jim Campbell.

 Sears doubled again in 2013, capturing the Hambletonian with Royalty For Life for trainer George Ducharme and the Oaks with Bee A Magician for trainer Richard “Nifty” Norman.

 His third Hambletonian triumph came with Pinkman for trainer Jimmy Takter in 2015.

 Last year, Sears finished second in the Hambletonian final with filly Joviality S. She was named the Dan Patch Award winner for best 3-year-old female trotter.

 In 2019, Sears finished second in the Hambletonian final with Greenshoe, who was an elimination winner. Forbidden Trade won the final by a neck.

 Sears ranks No. 6 in career driving purses with $212 million. He led the sport in earnings in 2005 with a then-record $15 million.

 He ranks No. 18 in lifetime driving wins in North America with more than 10,400.

 Sears has driven four Horse of the Year award winners: McWicked in 2018, Bee A Magician in 2013, Muscle Hill in 2009, and Rocknroll Hanover in 2005.

 A native of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Sears is a third-generation horseman, following in the footsteps of his grandfather Gene and dad Jay. Both are in the Florida Harness Racing Hall of Fame.

Brian Sears received the 1991 Rising Star Award from the U.S. Harness Writers Association.

AKE SVANSTEDT

Born: 11/18/1958 – Birthplace: Sweden – Resides: Wrightstown, NJ

 Hambletonian wins (2): Captain Corey, 2021; Perfect Spirit, 2017.

 Ake Svanstedt has won the Hambletonian twice, both times as the driver as well as trainer of his horses.

 In 2021, Svanstedt guided Captain Corey to victory. In 2017, it was Perfect Spirit, who was declared the winner when What The Hill was disqualified for interference in the stretch. It was the first disqualification of a winner in Hambletonian history.

 Svanstedt’s stable had three of the top-four finishers in the 2021 Hambletonian: winner Captain Corey, third-place Ambassador Hanover, and fourth-place Delayed Hanover.

 He has had five Hambletonian Oaks finalists. His best finish came in 2018 when Plunge Blue Chip finished third.

 Last year as a trainer, Svanstedt’s stable ranked third in North America with a career-best $7.52 million in purses. He also established a career high with 125 training wins.

 Svanstedt also finished third in training purses in 2021, with $6.31 million.

 Svanstedt moved to the U.S. from Sweden in 2014. As a trainer, he has won more than 960 career races in North America and $45 million in purses. As a driver, he is nearing 600 victories and $28 million in purses.

 He was Sweden’s Trainer of the Year five times and Driver of the Year on three occasions. He won 6,306 races as a driver in Sweden and 5,384 as a trainer. In 2017, he was inducted in Sweden’s Hall of Fame.

 Svanstedt grew up with horses in Sweden. His father, who was in the timber business, used horses for work and raced cold-blooded trotters. Svanstedt began his professional career at the age of 24 and within several years was the champion at his home track in Bergsaker.

NANCY TAKTER

Born: 6/23/1981 – Birthplace: Malmo, Sweden – Resides: Allentown, NJ

Dan Patch Award Trainer of the Year: 2020.
Hambletonian Oaks wins (1): 2020.

Nancy Takter has finished second in two of the past three editions of the Hambletonian, with 55-1 longshot Spy Booth in 2021 and with Ready For Moni in 2020.

In 2020, Takter continued something of a family tradition by winning the Hambletonian Oaks with Sorella. Her father Jimmy won the event a record eight times. Yannick Gingras drove Jimmy Takter’s final five Oaks champs, which came consecutively from 2014 to 2018, and also drove Sorella.

Sorella was Canada’s 2020 O’Brien Award winner for best 3-year-old filly trotter.

Takter was the caretaker of 2010 Hambletonian winner Muscle Massive, trained by her father. She made her Hambletonian final debut as a trainer in 2014 with Resolve, who finished fifth.

In 2020, Takter was the unanimous selection for Trainer of the Year by the chapters of the U.S. Harness Writers Association. She trained 2020 Horse of the Year Tall Dark Stranger and set career highs with 127 wins and $8.07 million in purses. Her earnings were second in North America to perennial category leader Ron Burke.

Last year, Takter was No. 8 in purses with $4.43 million. Her top win came with Treacherous Dragon in the Breeders Crown for 3-year-old female pacers. At the end of the year, Treacherous Dragon received the Dan Patch Award for best sophomore female pacer.

For her career, Takter has won nearly 650 races and $31 million.

In 2013, Takter started her own training stable. In 2014, she guided 2-year-old female pacer JK She’salady to Horse of the Year honors. JK She’salady is the only 2-year-old filly pacer to be named Horse of the Year.

Takter received the Rising Star Award from the U.S. Harness Writers Association in 2014.

Takter was 1 when she moved with her family from Sweden to the U.S. Her father is Hall of Fame trainer Jimmy Takter, a four-time winner of the Hambletonian and record eight-time winner of the Hambletonian Oaks.

TIM TETRICK

Born: 11/22/1981 – Birthplace: Flora, IL – Resides: Woolwich Township, NJ

 Hall of Fame: Class of 2020.

Dan Patch Award Driver of the Year: 2013, 2012, 2008, 2007.

Hambletonian wins (1): Market Share, 2012.

Hambletonian Oaks wins (3): Fashion Schooner, 2022; Bar Slide, 2010; Danae, 2007.

 Tim Tetrick won the 2012 Hambletonian with Market Share, trained by Linda Toscano. Market Share received divisional Dan Patch Award honors and finished second to stablemate Chapter Seven for Trotter of the Year.

 Last year, Tetrick finished sixth with Rebuff in the Hambletonian final. Rebuff later won the Kentucky Futurity, the third jewel in the Trotting Triple Crown (with the Yonkers Trot and Hambletonian).

 Tetrick has finished second in the Hambletonian final on three occasions, with Spy Booth in 2021, Smilin Eli in 2013, and Crazed in 2008.

 He has three wins in the Hambletonian Oaks, which is tied for third among all drivers in the event. Tetrick won with Fashion Schooner in 2022 for trainer Jim Campbell, Bar Slide for trainer Joe Holloway in 2010, and Danae for trainer George Teague Jr. in 2007.

 Tetrick’s top wins in 2022 included the Mohawk Million for 2-year-old trotters with Oh Well.

 His top victory so far this season came on July 15 in the Meadowlands Pace with Confederate. Tetrick has won the race six times, just one shy of the record in the event.

 Tetrick ranks third in all-time driver purses with $260 million. He led the sport in earnings in 2019 and 2018 as well as for seven consecutive years, 2007 through 2013. He has finished no worse than third in the money standings in each of the past 15 years.

 He ranks seventh in career wins in North America with more than 13,400. He was second in wins in 2021 with 658 and has finished among the Top 10 each of the past 18 years.

 In 2007, Tetrick won a record 1,189 races and was named the U.S. Harness Writers Association’s Rising Star Award winner as well as Driver of the Year. That season he became the first driver to lead the sport in both wins and purses (a then-record $18.3 million) in the same year since 1991.

 Tetrick was the regular driver of 2012 Horse of the Year Award winner Chapter Seven and 2019 Horse of the Year Award winner Shartin N.

 He represented the U.S. in the 2015 World Driving Championship and finished third.

 Tetrick grew up in Illinois and followed his father, Tom D. Tetrick, into the sport. Brothers Tom T. and Trace also are involved in harness racing. Trace is the all-time leader in driving wins at Hoosier Park.

 SCOTT ZERON

Born: 5/23/1989 – Birthplace: Montreal, Quebec – Resides: Campbell Hall, NY

 Hambletonian wins (2): Atlanta, 2018; Marion Marauder, 2016.

 Scott Zeron won the Hambletonian in 2018 with Atlanta, trained by his father Rick, and in 2016 with Marion Marauder, trained by Paula Wellwood.

 Atlanta became the first female trotter since Continentalvictory in 1996 to win the Hambletonian. At the end of the season, she was named Trotter of the Year by the U.S. Harness Writers Association.

 Marion Marauder went on to capture the Yonkers Trot and Kentucky Futurity to sweep the Trotting Triple Crown. Marion Marauder was the ninth Trotting Triple Crown winner and was named Trotter of the Year.

 With Marion Marauder, the then 27-year-old Zeron was the second-youngest driver to win the Hambletonian and youngest driver to win a harness racing Triple Crown, either trotting or pacing.

 Zeron missed the opportunity to drive in the 2022 Hambletonian because of injuries suffered in an accident several days prior to the event’s eliminations but participated on Hambletonian Day as a guest announcer on the Meadowlands simulcast show.

He returned to action in October and won a Breeders Crown with Treacherous Dragon, who at the end of the season received the Dan Patch Award for best 3-year-old female pacer.

 In June of this year, Zeron won the million-dollar North America Cup with It’s My Show. It was Zeron’s second victory in the race, which is for 3-year-old pacers.

 For his career, Zeron has won nearly 4,400 races and $95 million in purses.

 A native of Montreal, Zeron made a name for himself in Ontario before relocating to the U.S. near the end of 2013. He twice led all Canadian drivers in wins, in 2011 and 2010.

 Zeron received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the U.S. Harness Writers Association.

 Two years earlier, Zeron won with Marion Marauder, who went on to capture the Yonkers Trot and Kentucky Futurity to sweep the Trotting Triple Crown. Marion Marauder was the ninth Trotting Triple Crown winner and was named Trotter of the Year.

 With Marion Marauder, the then 27-year-old Zeron was the second-youngest driver to win the Hambletonian and youngest driver to win a harness racing Triple Crown, either trotting or pacing.

 In 2019, Zeron finished ninth in the Hambletonian final with Cantab Fashion.

 Zeron was born in Montreal and made a name for himself in Ontario, twice leading all Canadian drivers in wins (2010 and 2011) before relocating to the U.S. near the end of 2013.

 He won the 2012 Little Brown Jug with Michael’s Power and at age 23 was the youngest driver to ever win the race. He received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the U.S. Harness Writers Association.