Veteran harness driver Doug McNair earns 5,000th career racing victory

By Canadian Press on January 20, 2026.

He’s won Breeders Crown events and been named Canada’s best driver, but achieving 5,000 career wins might rank as Doug McNair’s top harness-racing accomplishment.

The 36-year-old Guelph, Ont. resident recorded the milestone Monday night, guiding favourite Wicked Express to a wire-to-wire win in the eighth race at Woodbine Mohawk Park. McNair entered action needing two victories to register the accomplishment, earning the first in the third race with four-year-old pacer Volcanic for his father, Gregg McNair.

“It’s starting to sink in now,” Doug McNair said Tuesday. “It’s a huge number, and I’ve been thinking about it for the last couple weeks.

“I’ve been lucky enough to have represented Canada a couple of times and won a lot of the major races in our sport, but this ranks right up there with a lot of that … maybe it’s the top thing, definitely at this time in my life.”

McNair chased his 5,000th win in the sixth race with pacer Carsonsbuckngo, but that quest ended at the first turn with an equipment break. But he credited Wicked Express with a dominant performance two races later.

“He won the race for me, I didn’t win because of any special driving,” McNair said. “It was a really cold, windy, snowy night, I think it was like -20 C with the wind chill, so anything could’ve happened… but I had the best horse, and that’s how you win a lot of races.

“You’ve got to be a good driver, but you must have the horsepower because quite a few of the guys you race against can also drive a horse, and so to get to the winner’s circle sometimes you’ve got to kind of outpower them.”

McNair has been ranked among Canada’s best drivers since starting his career in 2008.

He reached 1,000 career wins in December 2010, at the time being the youngest driver to do so. McNair was Canada’s top driver in 2017 and claimed national driving championships in 2018 and ’22 and was second at the ’23 world driving competition.

McNair has also won multiple Breeders Crown events, including in October at Woodbine Mohawk Park with The Last Martini. McNair earned 258 wins in 2025 with $6.8 million in earnings, marking the 12th season he’s topped $5 million.

McNair has earned $95 million in his career and said cracking the $100-million plateau might be the next mark he targets.

“If things go right, that might be possible this year,” McNair said. “That’s another big number.

“I remember when guys like Randy Waples (2011) and Jody Jamieson (2024) won 5,000 races, and Mike Saftic reached $100 million in earnings (2018,) and you just never think you’ll ever get there. It’s pretty neat, but it also means you’re getting older.”

And understand that not too long ago, McNair was one of the younger drivers on the circuit.

“Our driver’s room has changed a lot, even over the last year or two,” McNair said. “I used to be the youngest guy in the room, but now a bunch of guys are now my age.

“I think there are only three or four of us still here from 10 to 12 years ago.”

The late Hervé Filion, of Angers, Que., registered a record 15,100 career driving wins over his Hall of Fame career. The legendary John Campbell, of Ailsa Craig, Ont., won more than 10,600 races and is the all-time leading money-winner with nearly $300 million in purses over four decades of driving.

McNair has no intention of slowing down, but said that could change if family considerations come into play. Still, he believes 10,000 career wins could be achievable, that is, with continued help from his four-legged charges.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to drive the best horses, and that’s why I’m where I’m at,” he said. “Moving forward, it would be great to try and aim for another 5,000 wins … but I know there are kids who’re 15 years old now who’ll be coming to knock me off in five, 10 years, and they’re going to.

“But to do this now in my mid-30s, hopefully I still have another 15-20 years left. I can’t name all of the drivers I’ve looked up to, and you never think you’re one of those guys. I still don’t feel like I’m one of them.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 20, 2026.

Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press