The season for giving thanks is upon us. With more than 50 years observing and interacting with people in the Standardbred sport, 2025 has been a blessing of sorts as the ranks of the elite driving colony have shifted, with some of the old guard moving on and a youth movement, showing no fear, having emerged. The shift is a welcome addition for anyone looking for increased competition. It’s also an indicator that no matter how much we’d like to settle for a sure thing, change is inevitable. Young Braxten Boyd made it clear to me when we spoke following his drive in the North America Cup elimination in June that opportunity was the missing link that needed to be connected to advance. Without trainers showing confidence in an upcoming driving talent, anonymity is assured. For Boyd it meant taking advantage of the opportunity and not simply being awestruck by the level of competition on the biggest stage. To see an athlete (and drivers certainly are) rise to the level without taking a backseat is a game changer, not just for them but for the rest of the colony, which now knows their standing is at risk. Perhaps no driver in 2025 was as impactful on the big stage this year as Jason Bartlett, who has slowly moved away from his nightly dominance over the half-mile track at Yonkers Raceway to gain traction among the sport's leading stables. The combination of trust and consistency must come when both parties align, and for Bartlett that meant stretching out from Westchester County (New York) to many places he had been reluctant to travel to in the past. A "homebody," as he's often been quoted, Bartlett moved away from his comfort zone in 2025 and managed to make every leading driver in North America less comfortable in the process. Whether it was pacers or trotters, Bartlett was more effective getting a horse to sprint at the start of a race than any driver we've witnessed in quite some time. To be equally as adept with trotters or pacers getting advantage over his rivals in a split second, Bartlett rapidly put others on the defensive by acting quickly while others were forced to react to his sudden movements. In a sport that many often conclude has races that fit a definitive pattern, with many of the catch drivers accepting the order of business as if the odds-board is the only factor in a race, Bartlett managed to shake things up wherever he traveled outside of New York, to the surprise of some who only thought of him as a half-mile track – specifically Yonkers – specialist. ► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter Bartlett's breakout or breakaway from his own routine changed the racing dynamic, but it also pointed to a shift in where the sport has gone for all catch drivers. As we approach the winter season for harness racing, it is more apparent than ever that fewer tracks remain open and some that do race under modified conditions. The days when the Meadowlands ruled the roost and was the absolute drawing card for every horseman in North America have long passed. With only a few days of racing each week, many of the sport's leading drivers use this time of year to regenerate on the sidelines without spending any days going to a racetrack. While we could moan about the change, it's better to understand the reasoning some drivers virtually disappear from the sport. Money! Harness racing's leading catch drivers make the most money during the primary stakes racing season. Their schedules are incredibly intense, often traveling multiple times during a week to hit as many spots as possible and generate the most income for themselves and their clients. As one driver who will be wintering away from the track pointed out, "If I have to travel to Kentucky (from New Jersey) I have to be up at 3:30 a.m. to catch a plane and probably change in Charlotte (North Carolina)." The nuances of the commitment to drives outside of their home turf totally escapes the public, but I guess that's a good thing. If one thing became more than obvious in 2025, it was that despite the premise that drivers will always choose the best option to win a race when given multiple horses to drive in a specific race, quite often those decisions don't work out as anticipated. While Dexter Dunn enjoyed yet another magical year in 2025 winning on all fronts, it's hard not to remember the "Big Decision" he was forced to make prior to this year's Hambletonian. With two great options in Maryland and Super Chapter, both from the Marcus Melander stable, those in the media and those betting at home waited for his move, thinking of course that whichever his pick was would be more likely to win on Hambo Day. In hindsight neither horse did win the big race, but Maryland finished behind Super Chapter to the benefit of Yannick Gingras, who picked up the drive. At year's end Gingras got off She's A Bulldog to guide Seaside Shuffle in the Three Diamonds at the Meadowlands. Dunn picked up the drive and gave the daughter of Bulldog Hanover her first win of the season. Obviously our leading drivers are more often right than they are wrong when choosing between two or three horses to drive in a particular race. Yet for those who justify betting based on that singular factor it is worth conceding that they don't always make the wining choice. It's somewhat ironic that when I first began following this sport in the mid-70s there was really no place for a "catch driver" in the sport. The concept took some time to evolve until there came a point where the trainer-driver could no longer compete with the catch driver on the track. There were many, including myself at the time, that thought it unfair that the driver and trainer earned the same five percent commission when the trainer did 99 percent of the work over the days leading up to the race and the driver got paid for two minutes or less of his input. It's obvious in 2025 just how valuable catch drivers are to our sport and worth noting how a change in their ranks from year-to-year is of the most benefit to the sport. We want our horses to compete at the highest level and our drivers to be less predictable as they must navigate elements in races that change from week-to-week. So here's a thank you to all catch drivers, your hard work has made the sport more fun to follow.