To long-time Ohio harness racing fans, it seems like Don McKirgan has won a race at Northfield every year since the track opened. While they would be close, they would be wrong. "I was there in '57 when the track opened," McKirgan, now 81, explained. "But I was only 16 and didn't have my parimutuel license. I trained a few for my dad and started driving there in 1958." Since then, McKirgan has won at least one race every year at Northfield with the exception of five years while he served in the army in the early sixties, and 2004, when he was paralyzed for six months by a debilitating condition called Guillain-Barre Syndrome. "Yeah, in the fall of 2003 I got sick with Guillian-Barre. I couldn't walk, I couldn't talk or anything. It was tough, "recalled McKirgan. "I was out for 18 months. I had one colt left. Marty Wollam was training him and I went out to see him. I was still in a wheelchair. They brought him out and Marty said 'get on there.' I said I couldn't, but they threw my butt on that jog cart and when I got back I told them to bring me another one. I think I jogged six that day. Within two weeks, I was walking and moving better, and soon I was out there every day." McKirgan was back in the bike in late April of 2005 and won his second start back, steering Mom's Datebook to a win for trainer Wollam. "I have so many people that I am thankful to for that," said McKirgan. "Linda Conger [whose husband Jeff is a noted trotting trainer] was my Physical Therapist and the people at the hospital helped get me going. There were fundraisers and a lot of support." ► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter One of those fundraisers, organized by then Northfield Group Sales Director Mary Randall, was a t-shirt sale featuring a picture of McKirgan, who has always been known for his colorful language, with the caption "Dirty Will Ride Again." McKirgan began racing exclusively at Northfield in 1973 when the track began racing year-round. Prior to that he won driving titles at Wheeling Downs and the Red Mile in Lexington while Northfield was closed. "I didn't have much stock in Kentucky, but I was getting a lot of catch drives. There were some pretty damn good drivers down there at the time, so that stands out for me," said McKirgan. McKirgan won driving titles at Northfield in 1977 and 1981 and had the top UDRS "batting average" at the track in 1980, 1982, 1983 and 1985. He was elected to Northfield's Wall of Fame in 1992 and to the Ohio Harness Racing Hall of Fame in 2018. Although best known as a trotting man, McKirgan, who trained 2015 Ohio Horse of the Year Like Old Times and Ohio Sires champ Windswept Song, actually liked pacers better. "I've had a lot of good pacers, I broke Overkill and raced him on the Grand Circuit at 2, but it was taking too much time, so I got rid of him," said McKirgan. "I like pacers, but I broke my leg a few times and got tossed, so I figured trotters were a bit safer with their legs not being tied together." McKirgan mentioned that he's had many great owners over the years but he singled out the late Keith Ross as a big reason he remains in the business today. "Most of my owners are gone now," McKirgan lamented. "Keith Ross had a 2-year-old trotter that had bad feet. We turned him out and Keith wasn't in good health. Keith said I'm gonna give him to somebody. I thought he meant to train, so I was like give him to me, but he meant give the horse away. I said damn it, I want him. We got the papers out and he said give me a check for $1. I didn't have a checkbook, so my wife [Sandy] sent him the check in the mail and we put him in her name. I'm not sure he ever cashed it." That trotter, a Break the Bank K gelding originally named Sweet Money, had his name changed to Sweet Honey because Ross thought the name Sweet Money was bad luck. He has earned over $190,000 for McKirgan and has given him both of his 2021 driving wins, the first coming on October 13 and the most recent coming on Halloween. "He's done really good for me," said the veteran trainer/driver. "I have him and a 2-year-old filly Sadodaka who had five seconds at the fairs this year. She made some money for me. I just have the two. Taking care of them on my own, my wife's health hasn't been the best, so I have to take care of her too. They're a lot of work. It keeps me busy. I'm gonna keep going as long as I can." While McKirgan may have slowed down a bit after reaching age 80, he is still actively engaged in the sport and you can bet he will be around next year too, whether at Northfield or on the Ohio Fair Circuit. That's it for this month. Now go cash. Hopefully on Sweet Honey, driven by Don McKirgan.