by Moira Fanning, Hambletonian Society

for more info on the Breeders Crown events go to www.hambletonian.org

Campbellville, Ont – He can hardly be described as an overnight sensation, but one has to marvel at the miraculous rise to the penthouse of standardbred racing now being achieved by driver Brian Sears. The 37-year-old native of Fort Lauderdale, who captured his first Meadowlands driving championship in early August, is leading all drivers in North America in earnings.

He heads into Saturday night’s Breeders Crown four-race extravaganza at Mohawk Racetrack with the opportunity to exceed all his previous career accomplishments.

With nearly $1.9 million in purses up for grabs in the four races for harness racing’s senior performers, Sears needs just $312,000 to exceed his personal best — $10,028,306, set just last year.

WEG Photo

Sears won three races on the Crown card at Woodbine in 2004.

“When the opportunity to drive great horses avails itself,” Sears said Wednesday morning en route to New Jersey’s Freehold Raceway where he was scheduled to drive in the New Jersey Sires Stakes Green Acres events, “It’s more than likely that you are going to have success. The fact that I am driving good horses means I have the chance to win big races. So the fact I am having success at this level is not really a surprise.”

More than anything else, Brian Sears has become harness racing’s latest big money driver. There have been 10 races this season with purses in excess of $500,000. Jeff Gregory, Roger Hammer, Catello Manzi, David Miller, Jack Moiseyev and Trond Smedshammer have each won one.

Only Manzi, Miller and Moiseyev have drives on Saturday night, each with two starters.

Brian Sears, with wins in the $1.5 million North America Cup, $1 million Meadowlands Pace and $500,000 NJ Classic behind Rocknroll Hanover, as well as with Cabrini Hanover in the $571,000 Fan Hanover at Mohawk last Saturday night, has won four races with purses at $500,000 or better.

“The level of intensity is raised to another level in the big money races,” Sears continued. “There is certainly more pressure but that is what makes it more challenging and the victories even more exciting.”

Only Sears and Luc Ouellette, Mohawk’s leading driver, have a drive in all four Breeders Crown events Saturday night.

Sears, who became just the third driver ever to win four Breeders Crown races in a single year in 2004. That “Grand Slam” in 2004 moved Brian into a tie for eighth in Crown victories with Doug Brown and William Fahy. Each driver has won five trophies. Sears believes defending Breeders Crown Pace Champion Boulder Creek is his best chance at Crown glory.

Sears, who won three races on the Crown card at Woodbine in 2004, has the 2-1 morning line favorite Boulder Creek in the C$713,900 Breeders Crown Pace and 5/2 second choice Housethatruthbuilt in the C$302,500 Breeders Crown Mare Trot.

Carolina Sunshine, a 4-1 second choice in the C$401,115 Breeders Crown Mare Pace is Brian’s third drive, and Sand Vic, a 6-1 choice in the C$968,000 Breeders Crown Trot is his fourth assignment Saturday night.

“Taking nothing away from my other drives, but Boulder Creek is my best chance,” he said. “He has been incredibly sharp in the last month and he is peaking at the right time.

“Housethatruthbuilt and Sand Vic are good solid trotters but they have very stiff competition,” Sears said. “Carolina Sunshine has had some very tough races in a very long season.”

In addition to his success in the super purse class, Sears has won 11 races this year with purses in excess of $100,000. Only Hall of Famer Ron Pierce (15) has more wins at this level and only George Brennan (9) is close.

In the overall money standings for 2005, Sears at $9.7 million leads Pierce $7.7 by just less than $2 million while Miller ($7.1 million), Manzi ($6.2 million) and Brennan ($5.1 million) round out the top five.

In 2003 Sears finished 11th in North America standings with $5 million, climbed to second to Pierce with $10 million in 2004 and in what is just his third year as a regular at The Meadowlands, currently leads all drivers for that meet with a record $7.4 million.

By no means is Sears taking any of this for granted.

Prior to 2003, in the period between 1994-2002, Sears had averaged $1.8 million in prize money while having to win an average of 380 races per year. In 2004, Brian earned $10 million but only had to win 353 races.

“This time next year, you never know in this business. I might not be down on any good horses,” he concluded. “That part of it is out of my control. I just have to continue to make the best of the opportunity that presents itself.”