Evaluating harness drivers is all subjective. Appraising any athlete’s skill isn’t simply a matter of statistics. Consequently, there’s no way of knowing which driver is actually the best. A lot of things come into play, the most important being the barns that the driver is connected with. But we all have our favorites and it’s fun debating about drivers. One of my favorite harness drivers is Eric Goodell, who is driving regularly at Yonkers this year. The 38-year-old Goodell began his career in Michigan in the mid-90s and was a leading driver on that circuit. About six years ago he moved to the Northeast and has since driven winners at the Meadowlands, Yonkers, Chester, Pocono, Tioga, Dover, Freehold, and other tracks. In 2008 he had a career year, winning 420 races for over $8.5 million in purses. Last year he won over $5 million in purses for the fourth time in the last five years. Depending on how you look at it, his 2011 season stacks up favorably with his stellar 2008 season. In 2008 he won $8.5 million but he drove in 3,077 races. Last year he earned $5 million in fewer than half the number of races, driving in a total of 1,411 races. “That was a great year for me in 2008,” Goodell said,  “but it was a grind. I was living between Pocono and Chester and constantly driving back and forth an hour each way, then an hour and a half to the Meadowlands and another two hours to Dover. By the end of the year I felt burned out.” As I was talking to Goodell it occurred to me that he doesn’t always sound like someone who is successful, when in fact he is. “I can be pretty hard on myself,” he said. “If I have a bad night and don’t win any races I get down too easily and you have to learn how to deal with that; it’s part of the game. Ross Croghan, who’s a great veteran horseman, has sort of taken me under his wing and is trying to help me with things like that. I like talking to him. “I think I make good decisions on the racetrack but off the racetrack I’m not as sure of myself. Brian Sears told me I have millionaire hands and a ten-cent brain,” Goodell said, laughing. “A couple of years ago my wife Jamie and I bought a house in Michigan and I was thinking of driving full time in Indiana and other tracks that I could get to from Michigan. But now I’m second-guessing my decision because the money’s here, and if I’m in this area most of the time, it’s just too much time away from my family.” The Goodells have two children, ages 3 and 8. “I’ve missed some things you just shouldn’t miss,” he said. “You can’t get that back. Because of that, this year I haven’t driven every night. But we may move back east because I’d like to drive full time for at least another 10 years, and I really should be in this area.” There are a few things that Goodell does in the bike that have always caught my eye. First of all, he doesn’t abuse horses with the whip. You see many harness drivers, and Thoroughbred riders as well, who continue to whip the horse even when they obviously have the race won. That type of overaggressive handling has always puzzled and infuriated me.  Goodell doesn’t abuse horses, yet they come home fast for him. When he has the race won, he puts the whip away. “I like to drive in a way that leaves the horse with something left. I’m a strong finisher,” Goodell said. “It’s not just about getting speed out of a horse. Believe me, I can get a lot of speed out of a horse if that’s what you want, but at what cost to the horse? I feel that I can win a lot of races at a good win percentage and the horses come out of the race good so they can race well again the next start.” In my opinion, Goodell is also one of the best gate drivers in the business. As a handicapper, this is an important factor for me because a lot of harness races are won by leavers. Goodell wins many races because of his ability to leave quickly and get early position. This is extremely important at Yonkers where the race starts right in front of the first turn. During his career Goodell has brought in some huge longshot winners, especially at the Meadowlands. He’s also won stakes races with horses that were longshots and he takes a lot of pride in that. “It means a lot more when you don’t have one of the best horses but you win a big race,” he said. “A win that sticks out to me was when I won the Mistletoe Shalee final at the Meadowlands with Stylish Artist in 2008." The Mistletoe Shalee had a purse of $407,000. In the same year, Goodell also won the Titan Cup ($200,000) with Corleone Kosmos and the $250,000 Lady Liberty with Life Of Luxury N. “I really enjoy driving trotters,” Goodell said. “I think I have a good touch with trotters. A horse I use to love to drive was Lawman. (Lawman retired after the 2008 season and took a mark of 1:51 3/5.) Ross Croghan trained him when I was driving him and he raced against the top trotters. Lawman was one of those horses that could have been a great horse but he just wasn’t sound. He was fast and smart and gave it everything he had every time he raced. As a driver, you love driving horses like that.” Another horse that Goodell got to drive last year was multiple open handicap pace winner Giddy Up Lucky, a classy horse that won the $200,000 Dan Patch at Hoosier and finished second in the Levy. Unfortunately,  Giddy Up Lucky had a bad reaction to an iron supplement and died at 6 last October. He retired with almost 1.2 million in purses.  “That horse had a lot of class,’ Goodell said. “He could win from on or off the pace even with post 8 at Yonkers in those tough handicap races.” I asked Goodell which type of racing he preferred at Yonkers, the one mile or mile and a sixteenth distance. “No question the longer distance,” Goodell said. “It’s tough leaving into the turn at a mile, tough on the horses. You’re rushing the horse full speed right into the turn if you want to leave and it can take a lot out of a horse. I wouldn’t mind the one mile races a bit if the start was further back. But the way it is now, the bottom line is the mile and a sixteenth races are better racing, no question about it.” One of the reasons why Goodell likes driving at Yonkers is the driver’s colony. “We have a really good group of guys at Yonkers," he said. "We all get along well and there’s a lot of joking around in the clubhouse. We have a good time. That makes a difference to me. I’ve been at tracks where some of the guys are always fighting, which just makes things harder. It’s also good to drive with top drivers on a regular basis. I feel safe with these guys because I have confidence in them. That’s important.” I asked Goodell if there’s one driver in the sport right now that stands out as much better than the rest. “I personally don’t think there’s one guy that is far above everyone else," he said. "The drivers at each track all know where they stand in terms of talent, where they rank, so to speak. But there are a lot of top drivers in this area. I feel that I can hold my own with any of them.” To learn more about Bob Pandolfo’s handicapping theories, check out his handicapping page at www.ustrotting.com or his www.tropicks.com or www.handicappingwinners.com websites. Or write to Bob Pandolfo, 3386 Creek Rd, Northampton, PA., 18067.