Drivers Average Earnings
December 8, 2005,Dean A. Hoffman
Brian Sears has driven in over 2,000 more races than D. R. Ackerman this year, but their pay rates are about the same.
Sears has driven in 2,167 races and the horses he’s driven have earned more than $14.6 million. Ackerman has driven in 159 races and his mounts have banked $970,753.
Based on average earnings per start, Sears is at $6,764 per start and Ackerman checks in at $6,105.
Using the standard five percent driving commission, Sears has pocked $338 per drive while Ackerman made $305 per start.
Figuring that each race lasts about two minutes, Sears has earned $10,140 per hour during his races in 2005 while Ackerman works cheaper at only $9,150 per hour. Both rates are above the federal minimum wage guidelines.
![](http://ustrottingnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/13147-BrianSears102304.jpg)
Brian Sears has driven in 2,167 races and the horses he’d driven have earned more than $14.6 million.
These stats are based on numbers crunched a few days ago, so Brian Sears will have added a few more bucks to his total by now. By contrast, D.R. Ackerman is back in sunny southern California and likely won’t see any sulky action until sometime in 2006.
I’ve limited the list to drivers with 100 or more starts in 2005.
Sears, of course, has set an earnings record for a harness driver this year and his total earnings are far greater than Ackerman’s, but in this listing give less active drivers a chance to shine.
In looking at the list below, you’ll notice that Trond Smedshammer and Dan Daley both drove fewer than 200 times this year and came away with a very healthy dollar amount in earnings-per-start.
Smedshammer’s horses have earned $5,107 per start this year, good enough to put him in fourth place in North America. That total makes Smedshammer’s 2005 season look disastrous, however, when you compare it to his average earnings per start in 2004 when he drove Triple Crown winner Windsong’s Legacy. Last year Smedshammer’s mounts average more than $19,000 per start.
It helps to have a great horse if you don’t drive that often. This year Ackerman steered the Breeders Crown winner Chocolatier. Dan Daley also had a superb 2-year-old trotter in RC Royalty.
Speaking of good trotters, the driver ranking sixth on the list is Roger Hammer who also just happens to have a good trotter this year in Vivid Photo, winner of the Hambletonian and World Trotting Derby. Vivid Photo is the richest trotter of 2005 and his success has given Hammer an average earnings of more than $4,774.
Looking further down the list, you can see that Mike Lachance and John Campbell don’t drive quite as much as they once did, but they still manage to pick up a healthy chunk of change each time they drive.
Listed below are the top drivers based on average earnings per start (100 or more drives):
First Last Starts Earnings Avg per Start Brian Sears 2167 $14,656,806 $6,764 Douglas Ackerman 159 $970,753 $6,105 Ronald Pierce 2285 $13,022,677 $5,699 Trond Smedshammer 149 $787,276 $5,284 Trevor Ritchie 453 $2,313,655 $5,107 Daniel Daley 141 $681,915 $4,836 Roger Hammer 370 $1,766,337 $4,774 Eric Ledford 1190 $5,141,650 $4,321 David Miller 2527 $10,668,947 $4,222 Michel Lachance 821 $3,105,370 $3,782 John Campbell 1215 $4,578,442 $3,768 PAUL MACDONELL 1725 $6,423,711 $3,724 George Brennan 2034 $7,182,222 $3,531 Jack Moiseyev 1486 $4,924,599 $3,314 STEPHEN CONDREN 958 $3,122,936 $3,260 Raymond Schnittker 501 $1,570,042 $3,134 Luc Ouellette 2040 $6,015,032 $2,949 RICHARD ZERON 1571 $4,343,647 $2,765 Randall Waples 1398 $3,650,302 $2,611 Charlie Norris 293 $739,549 $2,524 Catello Manzi 3277 $8,159,897 $2,490 Chris Christoforou 1971 $4,906,567 $2,489 James Morrill 1298 $3,184,311 $2,453 Alton Lynch 145 $351,141 $2,422 MICHAEL SAFTIC 1869 $4,472,053 $2,393 Ronald Waples 253 $604,811 $2,391 Benjamin Stafford 205 $481,861 $2,351 Roger Mayotte 886 $1,980,191 $2,235 David Palone 1964 $4,333,973 $2,207 Yannick Gingras 2037 $4,447,808 $2,184 Mario Baillargeon 1443 $3,099,341 $2,148 Patrick Lachance 741 $1,567,816 $2,116 Steven Warrington 694 $1,451,546 $2,092 Rodney Hennessy 326 $656,252 $2,013 Jeffrey Gregory 1448 $2,899,959 $2,003 William Bailey 202 $401,753 $1,989 Ivan Davies 166 $326,799 $1,969 Howard Okusko 330 $641,643 $1,944 Arthur Stafford 259 $502,940 $1,942 Joe Anderson 359 $688,811 $1,919 Per Henriksen 139 $262,422 $1,888 Jan Johnson 100 $186,251 $1,863 WILLIAM ODONNELL 216 $396,803 $1,837 Bradley Hanners 2452 $4,437,969 $1,810 Keith Oliver 465 $825,401 $1,775 James Morand 1924 $3,407,459 $1,771 Richard Silverman 177 $312,935 $1,768 Kevin Sizer 858 $1,469,822 $1,713 Kelvin Rose 212 $360,412 $1,700 Mark MacDonald 3901 $6,589,288 $1,689