by Mike Sardella, for Saratoga Gamimg and Raceway

Saratoga Springs, NY — For the first time since 2007, a pacer has earned Saratoga Gaming and Raceway’s top honor. Kelly’s Noah was named the 2010 Horse of the Year at the annual holiday banquet at the Holiday Inn in Saratoga.

James Harvey owns and trains the 4-year-old, who became a force in the Open Pace this year. A New York Sire Stakes competitor for much of his first couple of seasons, Kelly’s Noah won an Open in the fall of ‘09 as a longshot and quickly became the Saturday feature favorite this year upon starting up his season in June.

In Kelly’s Noah’s second race of the year, he and his regular driver Frank Coppola, Jr. prevailed in 1:52.4, a race that would serve as a sure sign of things to come in what would be a historic season for a pacer at the Spa. Kelly’s Noah, in just 24 races, prevailed 11 times and earned just shy of $150,000, more than any other non-stakes pacer in track history.

Kelly’s Noah swept the night, winning the awards for top older pacer, Pacer of the Year and Horse of the Year. It is the second Horse of the Year at Saratoga to come from James Harvey’s stable as his Hickory Rockette became only the second mare to win the track’s top award in nearly 30 years.

Prime Interest dominated the trotting awards as he emerged from the Saturday banquet as the Trotter of the Year at Saratoga. The win was nearly three straight for the classy trotter as he ended up second in the voting last season, just a few votes behind fellow Open trotter Pablo Angus in the battle for trotter and subsequently Horse of the Year. The Jackie Rousse trained trotter was the 2008 Horse of the Year at Saratoga and this year became the first horse to ever earn over $120,000 in three consecutive seasons at the Spa.

Scorpion Moon, who set a world record for gelding trotters on a half-mile track in August with a 1:54 score, was a formidable foe for Prime Interest, but in the end it was the consistent trotting star of the Rousse barn that won the title as the track’s top trotter once again.

The filly and mare Open is a race that is not contested on a week-to-week basis but has been more than a sporadic Sunday feature. Up Front Kellie Jo was the standout among the lady pacers at the Spa and won the award for top filly and mare pacer on Saturday. Perry Simser trains the mare who had six wins and six seconds in 14 local starts this year.

The award for top New York Sire Stake performer went to Joey The Czar. In his lone race at Saratoga, the 3-year-old matched the track record with a 1:51 Sire Stakes romp with Jim Morrill, Jr. in the sulky.

In a year when the lead in the driver’s race went back and forth for most of the season, Billy Dobson secured his first ever driving title during racing’s final weekend and on Saturday was named Driver of the Year.

The vote for Horseman of the Year was so close that it resulted in a rare tie. Dobson and Coppola, neck-in-neck in the driver standings for much of the year, split the voting down the middle for top horseman honors.

While Jackie Rousse won the Trainer of the Year vote in a landslide, it was fellow trainer Melissa Beckwith who was named Horsewoman of the Year.

Dobson also was the Johnny Page Award winner, recognizing the top up-and-coming or breakthrough driver. The trainer’s version of the same award, the Peerless McGrath Award, went to Frank Calcagni.

Some of the race’s for claimers were the closest of all the votes. Claiming pacer Macho Uno edged out Morocco for the award for the $5,000-$6,000 claimers. Renoir ran away with the award for horses in the middle claiming range ($7,500-$10,000) and Tough Trooper, who rattled off ten consecutive wins upon coming to Saratoga for Dan and Wally Hennessey, earned honors for claimers of $15,000 and up. Please Sweetie was recognized among filly and mare claiming pacers. The claiming trotters of the year were Ben-Him ($5,000-$6,000) and Deliberate ($7,500-$15,000).

The younger horses to receive awards on Saturday night were as follows: The 2-year-old Pacer of the Year was The Filly Princess; The 3-year-old Pacer of the Year was Unicorn Hanover; The 2-year-old Trotter of the Year was Stell R Time; The 3-year-old Trotter of the Year was Jocular.

The 2011 racing season is scheduled to begin on March 4, pending NYS Racing and Wagering Board approval.