by Dean A. Hoffman

It came right down to the wire, and it took a photo finish to separate them, but Erv Miller topped Mickey Burke as the leading money winning trainer in harness racing in 2006.

Miller’s horses earned $5,703,033, almost $10,000 more than Burke’s total of $5,693,780.

Both numbers represented career highs for both trainers. Miller’s total was an increase over $5,358,840 in 2005, while Burke’s total skyrocketed from just $3,293,422 in the same year.

Burke achieved his winnings by sending out horses in 2,170 races in 2006, far more than any other trainer in North America.

In the important category of average earnings per start, Miller’s horses returned $4,959, while Burke’s averaged $2,624 per race.

Among the top stars in the Erv Miller Stable this year were the Dan Patch champion older pacer Lis Mara, Adios victor Cactus Creek, Breeders Crown winner Shark Gesture, and the redoubtable pacing mare Loyal Opposition.

Burke led all trainers in North America in total victories with 450, far more than Miller’s 317.

Following the top two trainers in earnings were the Scandinavian trotting specialists Jimmy Takter and Trond Smedshammer.

The Swedish-born Takter sent out 405 starters and they banked $4,726,472, or an impressive $11,670 per start. The Norwegian horseman Smedshammer’s numbers were even more astonishing, as his 315 starters earned an average of $13,272 per start, or a total of $4,180,700.

Actually, the highest earnings per start title belongs to trainer Blair Burgess, whose 180 starts resulted in winnings of $2,964,518, or an average of $16,470. Of course, of that total, $2,674,696 was earned by just two horses, Glidemaster ($1,918,701) and Armbro Deuce ($755,995).

Other trainers ranking high in average earnings per start were George Teague and Steve Elliott.