Jamieson says he's honored

While vacationing in Las Vegas, Ontario-based driver Jody Jamieson told harnessracing.com Monday afternoon that he was surprised when he learned he was voted the 2006 Rising Star of the Year by the U.S. Harness Writers Association, but he considers it an honor that he was recognized.

“I’m thrilled. I wasn’t sure I was a ‘rising star.’ Not that I was a star by any means, but I just didn’t think I was a rising star,” the 30-year-old Jamieson said by cell phone from Las Vegas. “Obviously to get the recognition is just a great honor. And I’m still young, so I guess in that respect I’m a rising star.”

Jamieson made just 43 starts in the U.S. in 2006 among his overall 2,850 drives. He competed at the Meadowlands, The Red Mile, Dover Downs, Yonkers Raceway and Rosecroft Raceway, where he was a participant in the All Star Drivers’ Challenge on Sept. 12. Among his biggest U.S. victories were International Stallion Stakes with Island Delight and Yankee Skyscaper (who he won the $900,000 Metro with) and Simpson Memorials with Takeshigemichi and Tivoli Hanover, all at The Red Mile.

Jamieson currently ranks seventh in North America with 551 wins and seventh with $8,679,426 in purse earnings. He has 3,517 wins over his career and $29.1 million in earnings. Last year he had a career high of 583 wins while amassing purse earnings of $5.1 million. In 2001 he won the World Driving Championship as Canada’s representative.

Jamieson is the second consecutive Canadian-based driver to win the Rising Star of the Year award, following in the footsteps of Mark MacDonald. In 2004 the Rising Star was Canadian native Yannick Gingras, who had moved his base of operations to New York/New Jersey at the time.

“Mark (MacDonald) and I have come in (to the United States) the last two years, and hopefully it will start a trend,” said Jamieson. “It’s pretty nice to be recognized. But my biggest goal is to try and win an O’Brien Award (as Canada’s Driver of the Year).”

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