As Trevor Henry enters the final five weeks of the year trying to protect his status as Canada’s winningest harness racing driver this season, he is taking nothing for granted.
Henry leads Billy Davis Jr., 472-432, in the nation’s standings and no matter how near the finish line appears, Henry knows it's best to drive on.
“I hope it’s good enough,” Henry said about his 40-win margin entering Wednesday’s races. “But you can’t stop until it’s over. It would be my first time (being the leading driver) so it would be nice. It’s been a good year.”
Henry, who lives in Arthur, Ontario, is enjoying a career year at the age of 41. He has set career bests with both his win total, which ranks No. 7 in all of North America, and his $3.16 million in purses, which places him just outside the top 10 in Canada.
Earlier this year, Henry won the driving title at Grand River Raceway, Clinton Raceway and Hanover Raceway, and he sits atop the standings now at The Raceway at The Western Fair District. Henry, who has won 4,537 races lifetime, won the 2011 fall driving title at Western Fair, too.
When Western Fair’s current fall meet began on Oct. 12, Henry got into the swing quickly by posting 17 wins from his first 23 races there. He has won 97 times overall since the fall meet began, in the process overtaking Davis for the top spot in wins among Canadian drivers.
“It’s probably just a matter of hard work and always showing up,” Henry said about his success. “Sometimes you feel like you get on a roll, but really it’s just getting to drive for good trainers and getting to drive good horses. That’s the biggest part of it.”
Henry’s biggest win this year came with Dancehall Mistress in the $100,000 Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots championship for three-year-old filly trotters. He’s also enjoyed a good season on the Ontario circuit with Angies Lucky Star, a two-year-old filly trotter trained by his wife, Shannon. Angies Lucky Star has earned $133,822.
As far as career wins, Henry points to capturing the 2008 Molson Pace with Eagle Luck, at 25-1 odds, as a standout moment.
“That helped my career quite a bit,” Henry said. “It shows (other owners and trainers) that you can compete at that level. You start to get some higher end drives when you show you can win a race like that.”
Henry followed his father, Ross, into harness racing and decided that he preferred driving over training.
“Driving is a lot easier,” Henry said with a laugh. “You don’t have to get up early and do all the work. Driving, you just show up and go.”
At the completion of the season, Henry hopes to take a few weeks away from the races and spend time at a place he has in Tennessee, where he can focus on hunting, fishing and relaxing. It is also a chance to spend more time with his children, 16-year-old son Ty and 11-year-old daughter Tessa.
As for winning the driving title, Henry rarely takes a peek at the standings.
“It’s just one more thing you’d have to think about,” Henry said. “You can’t look at things like that. You just have to think about your next race.”
And drive on.
This story courtesy of Harness Racing Communications, a division of the U.S. Trotting Association. For more information, visit www.ustrotting.com.