elista hanover
david miller
annie stoebe
international moni
evermore
R Lynn & Philomena P Curry, C Annie Stoebe
driver
trainer
sire
dam
owner
Coming off a freshman campaign of road bumps, immaturity and injury, Elista Hanover now enters the Hambletonian Oaks with a 10-race win streak on the line.
Elista Hanover won only one race from nine starts as a 2-year-old – a 1:59.1 effort to win an overnight race at Harrah’s Philadelphia in October. Her 3-year-old season began with a third-place finish in an overnight race at The Meadowlands and then in every start since – beginning with her win in a Bobby Weiss Memorial preliminary on April 9 at Pocono Downs – Elista Hanover has not been found outside of the winner’s circle. She won the $50,000 Bobby Weiss Memorial, three divisions of Pennsylvania Sire Stakes, a PA All-Stars division, a $25,6667 Reynolds Memorial division and a $30,800 Tompkins-Geers division before stamping herself the morning-line favorite for the Hambletonian Oaks with a 1:51.3 win in her elimination.
trainer Annie Stoebe: We’re just living a dream right now. She’s just amazing.
On having 11 starts this year – I’m OK with it. We’ll see how it is at the end of the year, but I’m comfortable with how she is coming into this big race.
On the trip in the elim – David (Miller), when he retook, I was like, oh. Then when (the half) showed up as :57, David knew what was happening. He knows what to do.
On Buy A Round challenging Elista Hanover – (Buy A Round) is such a fantastic animal, so of course I got a little bit nervous. In this race, she was the one to beat. We managed beating her.
On Elista Hanover being a happy horse – There is nothing that phases her. As long as you give her a cookie, she doesn’t care.
warrawee michelle
ake svanstedt
ake svanstedt
walner
sound check
Ake Svanstedt, Santandrea Inc, Young Guns
driver
trainer
sire
dam
owner
The reigning Breeders Crown champion, Warrawee Michelle will look to become just the 11th filly to win the Breeders Crown at 2 and the Hambletonian Oaks at 3. The last filly to achieve the double was Manchego in 2017-2018.
Warrawee Michelle’s win in the Breeders Crown rests at the top of her resume, which has just 12 starts total and nearly half-a-million dollars in the bank. Her win in the $700,000 Breeders Crown wrapped her freshman campaign, where she also won in her Breeders Crown elimination, in a $40,000 New Jersey Sire Stakes consolation and an $86,600 Bluegrass Stakes division. She began her sophomore season late with just one qualifier on June 8 before making her seasonal bow in the $128,000 Zweig Memorial on July 4, finishing sixth (to DATE NIGHT HANOVER). After then finishing eighth in a $125,000 Del Miller Memorial division (to FRENCH CHAMPAGNE), Warrawee Michelle underwent a minor throat surgery and returned to the races for her Hambletonian Oaks elimination. She saved ground through the mile and rushed up the inside to finish third (to ELISTA HANOVER).
trainer Ake Svanstedt: She was normal again. She had been bad, but we did throat surgery after the last race, and now she was good again. She was tough to train back after the winter, but now we had a reason. She had breathing issues, that’s the reason. She was good (in her elimination). She came home really fast. So, we’ll see.
There are a lot of good horses. There is not a big favorite. There are a lot of good fillies.
r melina
todd mccarthy
john butenschoen
chapter seven
goodtogo hanover
M&L of Delaware, Alabama Harness Associates LLC
driver
trainer
sire
dam
owner
Last year, R Melina stamped herself a stakes player with a 1:53.1 win in the $266,000 Kentuckiana Stakes at Harrah’s Hoosier Park in late September, which came after domination in the New York Sires Stakes (NYSS) and a disappointing break in stride as the 2-1 favorite in the final. R Melina laid further aim on the Grand Circuit towards the tail of her freshman season, failing as the odds-on favorite in an $87,500 International Stallion Stakes division at The Red Mile and also just missing the Breeders Crown final with a fifth-place finish in her elimination. She regrouped for the late-season engagements to win the $138,000 Matron Stakes at Dover Downs and then romp in the Goldsmith Maid elimination, though she faltered as the 6-5 favorite and finished third in the $428,000 final.
R Melina made her return in the NYSS program and uncorked three straight wins and then a second-place finish in the $193,400 Empire Breeders Classic at Vernon Downs. But then she again dealt with breaking issues which took her out of the $55,000 New York New York Mile and $128,000 Zweig Memorial. She managed to reverse course soon after and win her $125,000 Del Miller Memorial division with a first-over thrust. She then darted from the outermost post in a field of eight and rolled down the road to a 1:51.4 victory in her Hambletonian Oaks elimination.
trainer John Butenschoen: On overcoming earlier breaks – We’re trying to keep her happy. We took her back to the farm and we treated her just like a baby. We put her behind the starting gate, jogged her behind the gate, made her mind her manners. Then we changed her rigging just a little bit in her bridle. She wants to get kind of aggressive, and I think I might have had her over-rigged, and I think I might have been pissing her off. Todd was really happy with how she was scoring down, behind the gate, and said when he got to the front, he could do whatever he wanted with her. I was real happy with that.
Those breaks she made were way before the gate even sprung. She was just getting anxious and keyed up. And having the rail at (Yonkers and Vernon Downs), it’s pretty difficult to get away; you almost have to time the gate. It was like she wanted to charge up in there and got herself kind of flustered.
She’s put everything back together and we’re in it.
This was as good as we’ve seen her be. She tries. She shows up every week. It doesn’t matter where we’re at, what happens, what she does; she’s tried every start that we’ve ever put her in. Hopefully, we come away with a decent journey (in the final) and we’ll see what happens.
allegiant
scott zeron
vernon beachy
tactical landing
too good for you
ryan smith
driver
trainer
sire
dam
owner
With just two qualifiers to her name before her career debut in June 2023, Allegiant promptly established herself into a different league. She romped in a Kentucky Sire Stakes leg at Oak Grove in her first start at 2 and, one week later, set a track record for 2-year-old trotting fillies of 1:53.2 when winning the $100,000 Kentucky Sire Stakes final under wraps by 11-1/2 lengths. Trainer Vernon Beachy then brought her talents out of the Bluegrass state, winning a New Jersey Sire Stakes division and finishing fifth in the $240,000 final on Hambletonian Day (to BUY A ROUND). Her freshman season wrapped with two more wins in Kentucky Sire Stakes preliminaries, a fourth-place finish in the $400,000 final (to DATE NIGHT HANOVER) and a third-place effort in the Mohawk Million, where T C I recovered from a break at the start to steamroll to victory.
Following a 2-year-old season of 10 starts, Allegiant enters the Hambletonian Oaks from a less demanding schedule. She’s raced seven times in 2024 and didn’t find the winner’s circle until her fourth start, which came in the $52,355 Currier & Ives at The Meadows on June 7. She won in 1:52.3 and returned to the races a month later for a 1:52.1 win in the $100,000 Moni Maker at Scioto Downs. Then, after finishing fourth from a shuffled trip in the $125,000 Del Miller Memorial, Allegiant powered to the lead and was left to cut a sensible 1:51.4 mile to win her $50,000 Hambletonian Oaks elimination by four lengths.
trainer Vernon Beachy: On her gate-to-wire win in the elim – I think she is always better when you leave with her. She’s better on the front. But I just handed the lines to Scott and told him, it’s your job, do what you can.
She’s been a really nice filly from day one. She’s a blessing.
This is something that every kid dreams about, and you never think it’s going to happen. But we’re here. I’ve got to thank (owner) Ryan Smith. It’s been a great ride.
We’ve been trying to prep her for the bigger races. We’ve been trying to set her up for this. So, I was expecting Scotty to drive her a lot more aggressively than he has. In some of her other races, it just didn’t work out; it seemed like we were in the wrong place at the wrong time. But it wasn’t a big deal. This is more important.
This didn’t surprise me. I knew this was in her.
She never has a bad day. She’s always happy, loves her job. She’s been a really easy filly to get along with. When you get a filly that loves her job, those kinds can take you far.
Training down, I knew she was nice. But you never know. When we started going to the bikes, there was nothing that could trot with her. When we went to Kentucky, Oak Grove, (for the early Kentucky Sire Stakes last year) she did everything easily. She won in 1:53.2 down there, and we started thinking we might have something special on our hands.
On fifth-place finish in last year’s New Jersey Sire Stakes final and fourth in Kentucky Championship Series final – It seemed every time in the finals, something health-wise happened. It was just one thing after another. Unfortunately, when you come up no good in the finals, people overlook the rest. But we knew the ability was there. It was just a matter of putting everything together. She was small last year, too, so she needed time to grow. She grew a lot (over the winter), and she still has more growing to do. Every time we race, she’s the smallest one in the paddock.
She is definitely the best one I’ve ever had. But you don’t know if she’s good enough, or is she just the best one I’ve had. You try to temper your expectations. The owner, Ryan, this is by far the best horse he’s ever had. He goes to the yearling sales and really studies pedigrees. He likes trotting fillies. You can dream, but it doesn’t happen for small guys like us. We buy under 10 horses a year. You’ve got to get lucky.
I’m training 10 horses right now.
Hopefully, we can enjoy it. Sometimes when the expectations start climbing, the joy of it is less. Hopefully, we’ll come back and do good in the final.
On getting involved in harness racing – I grew up Amish. I got a job when I was about 14 working for Henry Westbrook. I would drive my horse and buggy to the barn, and he started having me jog and train. I learned from him, and then I moved to Saratoga and had a few horses, worked for Andrew Byler for a little bit. He had a bunch of babies for Roy Dobbins, so that’s how I got a taste for that. I just love buying young horses and watching them go from nothing to something. What that is, you never know. But that’s how I got my start. I’ve been on my own since about 2011. I had claimers at Saratoga. I moved to Ohio during Covid. When I moved out there, I did claimers. I had a guy that said, let’s buy some babies. We bought two for about $10,000 apiece and they both made $100,000 each. We just kept going from there.
miss i la
joe bongiorno
noel daley
walner
southwind venus
ken jacobs
driver
trainer
sire
dam
owner
One word to describe Miss I La: persistence. Through her 2- and 3-year-old seasons, she has engaged in the big dances and carved a handsome living of nearly a quarter-million dollars through her efforts.
As a 2-year-old, her marquee victory came at The Red Mile when she won an $86,000 Bluegrass division in 1:53.4 – a division where she also beat fellow Oaks finalist FRENCH CHAMPAGNE. Miss I La also finished third in an $87,500 International Stallion Stakes division, fourth in her Breeders Crown elimination (failing to make the final) and fourth in the $241,300 Kindergarten Classic.
Miss I La stayed on the stakes trail into her 3-year-old season, notching back-to-back runner-up finishes in the New Jersey Sire Stakes series before finishing second in the $240,000 final (to FRENCH CHAMPAGNE). She also clinched a Grand Circuit win with a pillar-to-post mile in the $55,000 New York New York Mile at Yonkers Raceway. She finished fifth in the $128,000 Zweig Memorial and then second in a $30,800 Tompkins-Geers division (to ELISTA HANOVER) before riding a pocket trip into the Hambletonian Oaks final with a second-place finish in her elimination (to R MELINA).
trainer Noel Daley: Miss I La has got the gate speed to put herself in there. But I sort of went to the well with both of them; I took their shoes off. I thought I needed to do that just to get them in there. I don’t know how much improvement there is in both of them.
buy a round
andy mccarthy
noel daley
walner
on your tab
Frederick W Hertrich III
driver
trainer
sire
dam
owner
From 14 starts in her career, Buy A Round has only missed the board one time, and that was when she finished fourth in her Hambletonian Oaks elimination. Because of her over $400,000 earned through her career, she secured the last berth into the Hambletonian Oaks final.
Buy A Round debuted a winner, taking a New Jersey Sire Stakes (NJSS) preliminary in mid-July before winning the $240,000 final on Hambletonian Day last year. She remained a dominant force on the New Jersey circuit with a win in the New Jersey Classic elimination and a third in the $275,000 final before hitting the Midwest for her foray into the Grand Circuit. She collected wins at The Red Mile in an $86,000 Bluegrass division and a $86,500 International Stallion Stakes division and later won her elimination for the Breeders Crown. Buy A Round rallied from a slow tempo in the $700,000 Breeders Crown final at Harrah’s Hoosier Park to just miss by a neck (to WARRAWEE MICHELLE) and finish third.
To start her sophomore season, Buy A Round again stuck near homebase, winning a NJSS preliminary and finishing second in another before scratching sick from the $240,000 final. She regained her groove quickly when she returned to the track on June 29 to win a $25,667 Reynolds Memorial division at The Meadowlands in 1:53.2 and then followed that with a second-place effort in the $125,000 Del Miller Memorial (to R MELINA) prior to the Hambletonian Oaks eliminations.
Trainer Noel Daley: (Buy A Round) just got too far back. That’s not her trip, first over. I’ll pull her shoes (in the final) and she’ll be five-lengths better. She’s the best of mine
french champagne
andy mccarthy
ake svanstedt
muscle hill
french cafe
Marvin Katz, Al J Libfeld
driver
trainer
sire
dam
owner
French Champagne started her career unbeaten from five starts, sweeping the Kentucky Commonwealth Series at The Red Mile. But her unbeaten streak snapped in the first week of the Grand Circuit at The Red Mile when she finished third in an $86,000 Bluegrass division to MISS I LA. She then finished third in the $138,000 Matron Stakes to R MELINA and wrapped the season with a fourth-place finish in the $428,000 Goldsmith Maid final.
In her 3-year-old season, French Champagne only made four starts before entering the Hambletonian Oaks eliminations. She won a preliminary and then the $240,000 final of the New Jersey Sire Stakes and then came back to the track over a month later to win her $125,000 Del Miller Memorial division in 1:51.4. But drawing the pylon post for her Hambletonian Oaks elimination, she got away towards the middle of the pack and had to close ground to finish second, beaten four lengths by ALLEGIANT.
trainer Ake Svanstedt: She raced good again. She has raced good every time. I hope she can race good again (in the final). She is a strong horse and good gaited. She does her race every time.
paulina hanover
david miller
noel daley
father patrick
personal style
J Schmucker, Maumee River Stbs, Hickory Hollow Stbs
driver
trainer
sire
dam
owner
If Paulina Hanover gets to the winner’s circle on Saturday, she will accomplish a rare feat achieved only one other time in the history of the Hambletonian Oaks. She would become just the second filly ever to be out of an Oaks-winning dam; her dam, Personal Style, won the 2012 edition. The only other filly to earn this achievement was Moni Maker in 1996; her dam, Nan’s Catch, won the 1988 edition.
Paulina Hanover debuted a winner with a 1:57 mile in a Pennsylvania Sire Stakes (PASS) division last July at Harrah’s Philadelphia. She won another PASS division before finishing fourth in the $252,000 final. Her only other win on the season came in a Kindergarten preliminary on Oct. 20 at The Meadowlands. She otherwised finished second in an $86,000 Bluegrass division, third in an $87,500 International Stallion Stake division and fifth in the $428,000 Goldsmith Maid final.
As a 3-year-old, Paulina Hanover has maintained a modest profile from just six starts. She has only one win on the season – a 1:55 victory in an overnight race at Pocono Downs on May 27. She otherwise has finished fourth twice in PASS divisions, second in a PASS division and fifth in her $125,000 Del Miller Memorial division (to FRENCH CHAMPAGNE). She then finished third with a rally down the center of the track in her $50,000 Hambletonian Oaks elimination (to ALLEGIANT).
trainer Noel Daley: Paulina Hanover raced great to get in there. Especially Paulina. She put in a step there leaving and got herself parked at the rear of the field. I thought that was the end of her. For her to turn around and trot on over them, she was really good. But I sort of went to the well; I took her shoes off. I thought I needed to do that just to get her in there. I don’t know how much improvement there is in her.
date night hanover
dexter dunn
marcus melander
chapter seven
dont wait up
Jeffrey Snyder, Onda Racing Stable LLC
driver
trainer
sire
dam
owner
Date Night Hanover led her yearling class at the 2022 Black Book Sale in Harrisburg, Pa. as a $600,000 purchase by Jeff Snyder, a co-owner on the filly who has nearly recouped her lofty price tag from 19 starts.
As a 2-year-old, she got to work swiftly with back-to-back wins in New York Sires Stakes (NYSS) events – her first two starts of her career. She then shipped west to Kentucky, where she won just one preliminary for the Kentucky Sire Stakes before landing a slight upset at 7-1 with a 1:53.4 win in the $400,000 final. But that win remained her last winner’s circle visit of 2023. She collected checks on the Grand Circuit at The Red Mile and qualified for the $700,000 Breeders Crown final with a third-place finish in her elimination, but broke stride from post 10 in the final. Her freshman season wrapped with another break in stride when she finished eighth in the Goldsmith Maid elimination at The Meadowlands.
Date Night Hanover then eased into her sophomore season starting with a third-place effort from off the speed in a NYSS division at Yonkers. She continued to grab purse money in state-bred events before returning to the Grand Circuit for the $55,000 New York New York Mile at Yonkers, where she broke stride and finished seventh (to MISS I LA). But in a total bounce, Date Night Hanover sat a steady trip off fast fractions and pounced with authority to romp in the $128,000 Zweig Memorial at Vernon Downs. Her late foot has been on full display since that victory, though she has not returned to the winner’s circle. She uncorked back-to-back furious rallies from off the pace to finish third in the $125,000 Del Miller Memorial and then third in her $50,000 Hambletonian Oaks elimination (to R MELINA).
trainer Marcus Melander: She raced very good again. She went the back half in :53.4 or :54 flat; you couldn’t ask for much more. It’s very wide open. Hopefully, we draw well. But she’s a quick filly and with some lucky, she is one of them that can win.
On her season – It’s been good. These last couple of starts have been really good for her. She’s only won once this year, but she’s been racing very good. The last time, she came home in :26. (In the elim), she came the back half in like :53.4. You can’t ask for much more. She’s a fast filly.
I like her attitude. She likes to work, she wants to do it.
drawn impression
james macdonald
luc blais
muscle hill
emoticon hanover
determination
driver
trainer
sire
dam
owner
Being out of the $1.7-million earner Emoticon Hanover, Drawn Impression carried high expectations that were quickly met by meteoric power. She didn’t debut until August of last year when she won an overnight race at Woodbine Mohawk Park in 1:57.1. Off that win, Drawn Impression dove straight into the Grand Circuit, winning her Peaceful Way elimination and romping as the 6-5 favorite in the $314,500 final in 1:54.2. A month later she entered the Mohawk Million as the 9-5 second choice, but broke stride moving into the first turn and finished tenth. Her freshman campaign ended with a win in her Breeders Crown elimination and a fourth-place finish, beaten under a length, in the $700,000 Breeders Crown final (to WARRAWEE MICHELLE).
Trainer Luc Blais has remained methodical managing Drawn Impression into her 3-year-old season. She only raced two times before the Hambletonian Oaks eliminations, finishing second in an overnight race in her seasonal bow on June 14 at Woodbine Mohawk Park and then settling for third in the $128,000 Zweig Memorial at Vernon Downs (to DATE NIGHT HANOVER). Despite having few miles under her belt this year, she sprung to action in her Hambletonian Oaks elimination and charged off a pocket trip to finish second by 1-1/2 lengths (to ELISTA HANOVER).
trainer Luc Blais:She’s a nice filly. She is very talented. She’s got a nice gait, a beautiful animal. She is very mature this year.
On having so few starts this year – They have nothing in Canada for 3-year-old fillies. They have the Goodtimes (for the boys), but nothing for the 3-year-old fillies. And in New Jersey, it starts early, and she was not really ready. That’s why.
It’s going to be two nice finals (the Hambletonian and Oaks). There is a lot of talent this year. People believe in their horses, that’s why they put them in (the elims). You need luck now. Position, trip. You need the stars to align that day. It’s going to be exciting. It’s going to be exciting all week until Saturday night.
JOE BONGIORNO
Born: 9/23/1993 – Birthplace: Red Bank, NJ – Resides: Monroe, NJ
• Has appeared in two Hambletonian Oaks finals, with a best finish of second in 2022 with Pink Coco Chanel at odds of 56-1.
• Won a division of the New York New York Mile with Miss I La for trainer Noel Daley on June 28 at MGM Yonkers Raceway.
• Top win in 2023 came with Hellabalou in the Borgata Pacing Series final at Yonkers.
• Got career victory 3,000 on Feb. 8 with Emotions Riches at Yonkers.
• Won $6.25 million in purses in 2023, his second-best total behind a career-high $6.88 million in 2021.
• Exceeded $5 million in purses each of the past three years and four times in the last five.
• Top lifetime wins include the 2019 Breeders Crown Open Pace with American History, 2020 Little Brown Jug with Captain Barbossa, and 2022 Canadian Trotting Classic with Slay, all for trainer Tony Alagna.
• Was the 2010 Amateur Driver of the Year, awarded by the U.S. Harness Writers Association, and was USHWA Monticello-Goshen chapter’s 2011 Rising Star Award winner.
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.
• Won the 2021 Hambletonian Oaks with Bella Bellini, trained by “Nifty” Norman.
• Bella Bellini was the 2021 Dan Patch Award winner for best 3-year-old female trotter.
• Has driven in five Hambletonian finals. Last year, Dunn drove Winner’s Bet, who finished sixth. This year with Dunn, Winner’s Bet won the Graduate Series final for 4-year-old trotters. In a preliminary Graduate round on June 22, he won in 1:49.3. Only three trotters have gone faster prior to the age of 5: Manchego, Atlanta, and Six Pack.
• Dunn’s best finish in the Hambletonian is fourth, which he had done three times, with filly Jiggy Jog S in 2022, Amigo Volo in 2020, and Soul Strong in 2019. Amigo Volo and Soul Strong both started from post 10.
• In addition to winning the Hambletonian Oaks with Bella Bellini, Dunn hit the board with Millies Possesion (second) in 2019 and with Panem (third) in 2020.
• Was the regular driver of 2022 Horse of the Year Bulldog Hanover, who in July of that year 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.
• Top wins this year include the Dave Brower Memorial and William R. Haughton Memorial, both with Abuckabett Hanover, at The Meadowlands.
• A native of New Zealand, Dunn moved to the U.S. in the summer of 2018.
• On June 29, Dunn got his 2,000th North American win with pacer Twin B Joe Fresh, a 4-year-old mare he owns with trainer Chris Ryder, longtime Ryder assistant Peter Trebotica, and Barry Spak. The victory came in the Perfect Sting at the Meadowlands.
• Dunn won 2,226 races in New Zealand, where he led the Premiership in victories for 10 consecutive years before moving to the States.
• U.S. Harness Writers Association’s Driver of the Year four times, from 2019-2022.
• Led all drivers in North America in purses in 2022, 2021 and 2020. Dunn-driven horses have banked more than $67 million since his arrival in the States.
• Won the 2015 World Driving Championship representing New Zealand.• For his career, MacDonald has won more than 3,700 races and $69 million in purses.
• Won the 2017 World Driving Championship, hosted by Canada that year.
• Brother of drivers Mark MacDonald and Anthony MacDonald.
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.
• Holds the record for most driving wins in the Hambletonian Oaks with six. The nearest active driver is Tim Tetrick, who is tied for second with four.
• Won the 2020 Oaks with Sorella for trainer Nancy Takter. His previous five victories came for Takter’s father, Jimmy, in consecutive years, 2014 through 2018.
• In the Hambletonian, Gingras has finished second 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).
• On July 13, Gingras won the Hambletonian Maturity, for 4-year-old trotters, with Ron Burke-trained Chapercraz at The Meadowlands.
• Got career win 9,000 on July 29 when he guided Steely Knife to victory for trainer Ron Burke at Lexington’s Red Mile.
• Ranks fourth among drivers in career purses with $236 million. He led the sport in purses four consecutive years, 2014-2017, and occupied the top spot again in 2023, with $15.1 million. He has been no worse than third in purses each of the past 12 years.
• 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, Gingras 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 eight Big M driving titles, including in 2022 and 2023.
• 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. He has driven 22 different horses to receive Dan Patch Awards, with eight honored multiple years.
• Gingras has won 26 Breeders Crown trophies in his career, good for sixth place all time among drivers.
• Known for his association with Hall of Fame pacer Foiled Again, who retired in 2018 as the richest horse in harness racing history with $7.63 million in lifetime earnings. The gelding won 109 races, ninth most by a pacer in more than 50 years.
JAMES MacDONALD
Born: 1/10/1986 – Birthplace: Prince Edward Island – Resides: Guelph, Ontario
• O’Brien Award Driver of the Year: 2023, 2022, 2021.
• Made his Hambletonian debut in 2023. Finished fifth with Southwind Coors in their elimination and seventh in the final.
• In the Hambletonian Oaks last year, MacDonald guided Righteous Resolve to third-place finishes in her elimination and the final.
• Won the Meadowlands Pace on July 13 with Legendary Hanover in a stakes-record 1:46.3. Only one 3-year-old has ever won a race with a faster time, Confederate with a 1:46.1 score last year at Lexington’s Red Mile.
• Mike Lachance, in 2003, is the most recent driver to win the Meadowlands Pace and Hambletonian in the same year.
• MacDonald has received three consecutive O’Brien Award as Canada’s top driver.
• In 2023, he led all drivers in Canada in wins, with 429, and purses, with $9.75 million. He also led in wins and purses in 2022 and 2021.
• Ranks first in both categories again this year.
ANDREW McCARTHY
Born: 3/31/1986 – Birthplace: Bathurst, Australia – Resides: Swedesboro, NJ
• Hambletonian wins (1): Ramona Hill, 2020.
• Won the 2020 Hambletonian with filly Ramona Hill, trained by Tony Alagna. It was McCarthy’s second appearance in a Hambletonian final.
• Ramona Hill was 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.
• McCarthy’s best finish in the Hambletonian Oaks came in 2018 when he was fourth with Hey Blondie for trainer Chuck Sylvester.
• A native of Australia, McCarthy has raced regularly in North America since 2007. He has won more than 3,500 races and $78 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. His top wins came with Jujubee in the Breeders Crown and Kentucky Futurity. Jujubee was named Trotter of the Year.
• McCarthy has won five Breeders Crown trophies in his career. In 2019, he became the eighth driver in history to win at least four Breeders Crown finals in a year. He became the first to accomplish the feat without driving a favorite.
• 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.
• The McCarthy brothers all have won million-dollar races, with Luke capturing the Miracle Mile multiple times in Australia, Andy winning the 2020 Hambletonian and 2020 Mohawk Million (with Venerate), and Todd winning the 2022 Hambletonian (with Cool Papa Bell) and 2022 North America Cup (with Pebble Beach).
• The McCarthy family was selected by the Bathurst Harness Racing Club as its 2016 Gold Crown honoree.
TODD McCARTHY
Born: 2/24/1993 – Birthplace: Australia – Resides: Bordentown, NJ
• Hambletonian wins (1): Cool Papa Bell, 2022.
• Made his Hambletonian debut in 2022 and drove Cool Papa Bell to the biggest upset in the history of the event, winning at odds of 52-1 for trainer Jim Campbell. Cool Papa Bell received the Dan Patch Award for best 3-year-old male trotter.
• The Hambletonian was one of two million-dollar races won by McCarthy in 2022. He also captured the North America Cup for 3-year-old pacers with Pebble Beach at Woodbine Mohawk Park. McCarthy later won his first Breeders Crown with Pebble Beach, who received the Dan Patch Award for best 3-year-old male pacer.
• Last year, McCarthy did not drive in the Hambletonian. He won a Hambletonian Oaks elimination with Heart On Fire and finished ninth in the Oaks final.
• McCarthy moved to the U.S. at the end of August 2020.
• Got his 1,000th win in the States on May 11 with Endofstory at The Meadowlands. He won 1,109 races in Australia prior to his move.
• In 2022, he ranked sixth among all drivers in North America with $9.44 million in purses.
• Has nearly $29 million in career North American purses.• Received the 2021 Rising Star Award from the U.S. Harness Writers Association after finishing ninth in North America in purses with $7.45 million. He was the driver of Dan Patch Award-winning older male pacer Allywag Hanover.
• His accomplishments Down Under included winning the 2016 Australasian Young Drivers Championship and multiple New South Wales state and metropolitan premiership driving titles. He represented Australia at the 2019 World Driving Championship.
BOB McCLURE
Born: 9/26/1990 – Birthplace: Orangeville, Ontario – Resides: Rockwood, Ontario
• O’Brien Award Driver of the Year: 2020.
• Hambletonian wins (1): Forbidden Trade, 2019.
• Won the Hambletonian in his only try to date, guiding Forbidden Trade to victory for trainer Luc Blais in 2019. Forbidden Trade went on to be named Canada’s Horse of the Year.
• McClure finished No. 1 in purses in Canada in 2020 with $6.67 million and was named Canada’s Driver of the Year. He has been no worse than eighth in purses in Canada each of the past eight years, including second in 2018 and third in 2019.
• Led Canada in wins in 2017 and 2016 and was third in 2018 and 2015. He raced primarily at Canada’s “B” tracks before moving to the main stage of the Woodbine-Mohawk circuit in December 2017.
• Has won more than 3,400 races in his career. He has earned more than $48 million in purses lifetime.
• Top victory so far this year came with Highland Kismet in the Goodtimes Stakes on June 15 at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
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.
• This year, Miller’s top win so far came with Secret Agent Man in the Tompkins-Geers Stakes on July 20 at The Meadowlands.
• Miller ranks 13th among drivers in career purses with $142 million.
• He ranks 23rd in all-time North American wins with more than 10,100.
• Miller’s 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.
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.
• Finished fifth in the 2023 Hambletonian final with Point Of Perfect.
• 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.
• Last year, ranked third in purses among drivers in North America, with $10.9 million.
• Ranks No. 2 all time in purses with $285 million and has finished among the top five in earnings 24 of the past 25 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 with more than 14,400.
• 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 the record for Breeders Crown wins in a year with five.
• 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.
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 (4): Heaven Hanover, 2023; Fashion Schooner, 2022; Bar Slide, 2010; Danae, 2007.
• 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 second with Oh Well in the Hambletonian final, a length behind Tactical Approach.
• Has finished second in the Hambletonian final on three other occasions, with Spy Booth in 2021, Smilin Eli in 2013, and Crazed in 2008.
• Tetrick has won the Hambletonian Oaks four times, tied with Berndt Lindstedt for second most all time among drivers, with his two most recent victories coming back-to-back in 2022 and 2023. Yannick Gingras hold the record for Oaks wins, with six.
• Won last year’s Hambletonian Oaks with Heaven Hanover for trainer Marcus Melander. She won from post 10 at odds of 28-1.
• Also won from post 10 in 2022 with Fashion Schooner for trainer Jim Campbell.• His other Oaks wins came with Bar Slide for trainer Joe Holloway in 2010 and Danae for trainer George Teague Jr. in 2007.
• Tetrick ranks third among all drivers in history in purses with $273 million.
• Led the sport in purses in 2019 and 2018 as well as for seven consecutive years, 2007 through 2013.
• Has finished no worse than third in the purse standings in each of the past 17 years.
• Was second in purses in 2023, with $14.1 million.
• Ranks seventh in career wins in North America with nearly 14,000.
• Has won at least 500 races in 18 of the past 19 years. Has ranked among the Top 10 in victories in all 19 of those 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 three Horse of the Year Award winners: Confederate in 2023, Shartin N in 2019, and Chapter Seven in 2012.
• 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
• Dan Patch Award Driver of the Year: 2023.
• Hambletonian wins (3): Tactical Approach, 2023; Atlanta, 2018; Marion Marauder, 2016.
• Scott Zeron last year, at the age of 34, became the 11th driver in history to win the Hambletonian at least three times. The other 10 are all in the Hall of Fame.
• A fourth victory would put Zeron in a tie for second most ever, joining Ben White, Billy Haughton, Stanley Dancer, and Mike Lachance. The only driver with more Hambletonian trophies is John Campbell, with six.
• The most recent driver to win the Hambletonian in back-to-back years was John Campbell in 1987 with Mack Lobell and 1988 with Armbro Goal.
• Zeron’s three wins have come in only seven starts in the final.
• He captured last year’s Hambletonian with Tactical Approach, trained by Nancy Takter. He won from post 10, the least advantageous starting spot at The Meadowlands, at 12-1 odds.
• Tactical Approach also won the Kentucky Futurity, giving him two of the three jewels in the Trotting Triple Crown, and a Breeders Crown. He was named 2023 Trotter of the Year.
• Zeron’s previous Hambletonian wins came in 2018 with Atlanta, trained by his father Rick, and in 2016 with Marion Marauder, trained by Paula Wellwood.
• Atlanta was 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.
• 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.• Last year, Zeron reached the $10-million level in purses for the first time in his career, finishing with $10.07 million. Other top wins for him included the North America Cup and Little Brown Jug, both with It’s My Show.
• Zeron was the U.S. Harness Writers Association’s 2023 Driver of the Year.
• For his career, Zeron has won nearly 4,600 races and $105 million in purses.
• His top victory so far this year came with Dame Good Time in the Dr. Harry M. Zweig Memorial on July 4 at Vernon Downs.
• 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.