The decade is over . . . or is it? While there has been debate as to whether the decade runs from 2011 to 2020 or 2010 to 2019, for the purposes of this column we'll treat 2019 as the closing point of the 20-teens. With the decade now in our rearview mirrors, it seems appropriate to look back at the best drivers, trainers and horses from the previous 10 years. For the drivers and trainers I'll list my top 5 in alphabetical order since I'm not getting into a heated debate on who is better. Rounding out the trainers' category was very difficult and there are many names that could've made the cut. With the horses, I decided to bite the bullet and rank them, and I went with a top 12 because of the number of horses versus the driver/trainer pool. Feel free to email me at Dgiwner@drf.com and tell me why I’m wrong or which horse I committed a major injustice to by omitting them. Before digging in, let me say that I used statistical data combined with stakes achievements, along with some personal opinion, in determining the best drivers and trainers. With the horses I added in some intangibles to the equation, like impact on the sport. Top 5 Drivers – 2010 to 2019 Yannick Gingras – The "Green Hornet" led North America in earnings four times during the decade and finished second multiple times. That accomplishment alone says a lot, but the fact that he has done it while keeping a mostly reduced work schedule so he can balance his job with family life, makes it even more impressive. Aaron Merriman – He has led the nation in wins each of the last five years and set a record by winning 1,000 or more races each year since 2017. Merriman also averaged 795 wins a year during the decade and was frequently among the top 10-earning drivers. Incidentally, through the first six days of 2020 he has won 32 times in 71 starts . . . just wow! David Miller – Miller drove horses to at least $9 million in earnings every year during the decade and was named Driver of the Year by the United States Harness Writers twice. Known as the "Buckeye," he is one of the leaders in Breeders Crown victories with 12 over the 10-year span. Brian Sears – According to the earnings and win totals, the "White Knight" slowed down dramatically throughout the decade (he has started fewer than 1,000 times each of the last two years by choice), yet he still amassed 12 Breeders Crown wins and won two Hambletonians (2015, Pinkman; 2013, Royalty For Life) as a "go-to" driver in the big races. Tim Tetrick – Tetrick has set the pace among drivers during the decade, winning the earnings title six times and accumulating an industry-best $144,126,962 in earnings for his connections over the 10 years. The "Bionic Man" is also typically among the leaders in wins and has won double-digit Breeders Crowns as well as the Hambletonian (2012, Market Share). Top 5 Trainers – 2010 to 2019 Tony Alagna – If you ignore 2010 when he first went out on his own, Alagna's barn has averaged a strong $4,562,011 in earnings each year while remaining near the top of the leaderboard in the category.  The conditioner has trained numerous stakes winners along the way including Pacer of the Year Captaintreacherous (2012/2013). Rene Allard – The Quebec native has been among the leaders in earnings and wins in nearly every year during the decade. His barn has topped $5.5 million and 300 wins every one of the last five years. Allard also made a smooth transition from training mostly older and overnight horses to younger stakes players, including winning the Hambletonian Oaks with Dan Patch 3-year-old Filly of the Year When Dovescry in 2019. Ron Burke – Led North America in wins and earnings every year during the decade and set a record in both categories (1093 and $28,414,071) in 2014. Burke was also named Trainer of the year by USHWA three times (2011, 2013 and 2018) while campaigning some of the best horses in the sport – Sweet Lou, Foiled Again, Hannelore Hanover, and many more. Jimmy Takter – He may have played second fiddle to Ron Burke during the decade in the earnings category due to managing a much smaller stable, but Jimmy Takter bested him by winning Trainer of the Year an amazing four times in the last 10 years and took home the trophy in the Hambletonian three times (Pinkman, 2015; Trixton, 2014; Muscle Massive, 2010), including driving the winner in 2014. Linda Toscano – When you look at the previous decade, her 2012 season with Market Share winning the Hambletonian and Chapter Seven capturing Horse of the Year is one of the best in history outside of Ron Burke and Jimmy Takter. Toscano also won a handful of Breeders Crowns during the last 10 years and averaged $3,448,952 in earnings. Top 12 Horses – 2010 to 2019 1 – Wiggle It Jiggleit His career numbers (56-39-11-3, $3,926,269) are ultra-impressive but even more so is his appeal to fans of the sport. I've always said that "Wiggle" could take a poop and people would want to read about it. He, along with #2 on the list, are perhaps the only two Standardbreds that broke the chains of the industry to reach more of a broad audience. 2 – Foiled Again He's like Madonna or Babe Ruth as an icon of his industry. Standing more than $2.7 million ahead of his closest competitor, his $7,635,588 earned is tops all-time among North American Standardbreds. During his career that ended in 2018 and even in retirement over the last year, his magnetism as a gutsy workmanlike campaigner literally brought people to the track to watch him closely. 3 – Captaintreacherous He was a great 2-year-old and 3-year-old while earning nearly $3 million and winning 21 of 26 races. Statistically alone, he was deserving of a place on this list, but what pushes him into third is the dominance he has displayed as a stallion. His first and second-year progeny dominated the earnings leaderboards for each group. 4 – Chapter Seven On the track he compiled a spectacular 28-20-4-1 record and earned $1,954,966. In the breeding shed he has shined even brighter by producing the first filly to win the Hambletonian in over 20 years (Atlanta), $1.7 million earner Gimpanzee and a slew of others over $400,000 in just four crops. 5 – Father Patrick In 33 career starts he won 23 times and earned $2,558,133 while winning the Breeders Crown as both a 2 and 3-year-old. Then he became a stallion and in just two crops has given us two 2019 divisional winners in 3-year-old trotting colt Greenshoe ($1,353,772) and 2-year-old trotting colt Amigo Volo ($610,546). 6 – McWicked He ranks second in career earnings on these shores at $4,930,967 and just wrapped up his second straight Older Pacer of the Year title. McWicked also accomplished the amazing feat of winning over $1.4 million as a 3-year-old and coming back from two basically non-existent years to win his recent awards. 7 – Bee A Magician She is the richest trotter in North American history at $4,055,865 and won an astounding 45 times in just 72 career starts. Bee A Magician was also named Horse of the Year in 2013 after putting up a perfect record in 17 starts. 8 – Hannelore Hanover The 2017 Horse of the Year was the first trotting mare to earn the honor since Moni Maker in 1999. Retiring after her 2019 campaign, she finished with an 87-46-19-6 record and $3,069,857 in earnings. 9 – Sweet Lou A son of Yankee Cruiser, he was named the best 2-year-old pacing colt of 2011 and three years later won Dan Patch honors as best older pacing horse in the sport. He retired to stallion duty with earnings of $3,478,894 and 33 wins in 74 starts, and has gone on to produce Warrawee Ubeaut ($1,597,605) and Breeders Crown winner Dancin Lou. 10 – Always B Miki His name is synonymous with speed since he is the co-fastest Standardbred in history with a 1:46 mark set at The Red Mile. Always B Miki retired after earning Horse of the Year in 2016 with a 53-30-13-3 record and $2,715,368 in earnings. His first 2-year-olds will race in 2020. 11 – Shartin N She arrived here from Down Under in January 2018 and the rest is history. She became the first older mare pacer to eclipse the million-dollar mark in single-season earnings in 2018 while winning a Dan Patch award in her division and nearly equaled that feat in 2019 with $982,177 earned and a second Dan Patch award. She is the fastest pacing mare in history (1:46 4/5) and owns a nearly flawless 43-34-4-0 record in North America. 12 – Anndrovette Before there was Shartin N, there was Anndrovette. From 2011 to 2014 she dominated the older pacing mare ranks while winning the Dan Patch in her division an amazing four straight years. Racing in one of the poorest divisions in terms of purse money, she amassed over $3.5 million during the decade and had six straight years of earnings over $350,000. Honorable mention goes to (in no particular order) Atlanta, Manchego, Ariana G, Mission Brief, Shake It Cerry, Put On A Show, Check Me Out, Maven, All Bets Off, American Jewel, Pure Country, Marion Marauder, Market Share, Rock N Roll Heaven, and Betting Line.