Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Odds On Racing's

Driver of the Month
July 2006

Sam Widger

In the past ten years it's been a common sight to see the colorful montage of Sam Widger's blue, white and maroon colors in the winner's circle of Maywood & Balmoral Parks.

Sam Widger celebrates career win #2,000

Earlier this year Widger nailed down career win 2000 at Maywood Park on January 12, guiding Kennans Chris to her maiden victory in 2:00. It was the opening night for Maywood's 60th consecutive season, and Widger had three wins on the evening's program.

Widger, 42, ended his 2005 season with 288 dash winners, the best ever in a single season for the Canton, IL native. Sammy also had 355 seconds and 321 thirds. Horses Widger drove won $2,094,237 in 2005, the third year in the last six he topped the $2 million plateau.

"I want to thank all the owners and trainers that stuck with me through the years" said Widger. "I’m thankful they hung in there and never gave up on me. I’m fortunate to come off my best year in wins and optimistic for 2006 as well."

Widger notched career win 2,001 in the eighth race feature that same night with 8-5 favorite I’mgonnagetchagood in 1:56.4 and number 2,002 with 11th race winner Cody Little Gal, who posted a 1:56.4 clocking.

Widger began driving racehorses in 1986, winning one of seven starts that year and $483 in purses. Since that time he’s amassed a career bankroll of just over $14.5 million. His father is trainer James Widger, who got his young son involved in harness racing back in 1982 near Moline, Illinois. Sam is one of ten children.

"My dad was building horse barns in the Quad City Downs area and working part-time as a farrier, and I started cleaning stalls at the Midwest Horse Spa at that time," Sam said. "I went to work for a trainer and was taking care of eight horses by myself."

Sam graduated from training horses to qualifying them, garnering his "P" license in 1987. After that, it only took the young reinsman six more months of driving Standardbreds to obtain his "A" license.

"In 1986 Dad and I started training together at the Spa and we followed the Quad City Downs/Fairmount Park circuit," Sam said. "I didn’t do a lot of driving the first couple of years I had my license. When I came to Chicago in 1991, some trainers started putting me down on their horses."

Sam broke the $100,000 money-earning barrier in 1991, winning 36 races from 304 starts. He remained consistent, winning an average of 50 races per season until 1997, when he visited the winner’s circle 106 times, steering the winners of $410,307.

"I have a lot of respect for my fellow drivers in Chicago. They are very professional and
some of the best in the business."

Sam has driven some top horses on the Windy City circuit, including the Cole Muffler champion filly Juxtaposition, who won the $98,136 American National for freshman pacing fillies in 1998 and 1999 star freshman filly Star Slinger. In 2000 he was the main pilot behind the gutsy filly Cyber Wave, a freshman sensation who racked up nine wins and three seconds in 12 starts, earning $254,774 and a share of the $1 million bonus paid out by the Illinois Dept. of Agriculture. She also became the first Illinois-bred filly to win the Cinderella pace under Sam’s tutelage.

"All were very nice fillies, and all raced tremendously as two-year-olds," Sam remembered. "It’s really competitive here in Chicago, and I’ve learned a lot through trial and error and been fortunate to have trainers stick with me through the good and the bad. This is a tough business and I take my hat off to everyone involved—the trainers, grooms, the owners, and the other drivers. It’s a community effort and it takes everybody to make things work."

Widger rounded out the 2005 season by finishing fourth in the Maywood Park driver standings with 189 wins, 162 victories and 134 thirds in 1,005 trips postward, with $757,115 in seasonal earnings. At Balmoral, he was seventh in the final standings of 2005, with 129 victories, 158 seconds and 144 thirds from 1,275 starters, with $1,008,450 earned. Those stats saw him finish sixth overall in the combined Windy City circuit standings, behind Tim Tetrick, Andy Miller, Tony Morgan, Mike Oosting and Dave Magee—not a bad group to be associated with by any means.

"I have a lot of respect for my fellow drivers here in Chicago," Widger noted. "They are very professional and some of the best in the business."

Sam Widger's Career Statistics (through June 27, 2006)
Year    Starts    Wins    2nds   3rds     Earnings       UDRS
2006      1329      207      193      177      $1,244,788      .281
2005      2480      288      355      321      $2,094,184      .239
2004      1007       89        94       117      $584,317       .179
2003        956       88        97      103      $665,851        .184
2002      1698      194      193      206      $1,407,537      .218
2001      1969      241      247      230      $2,233,746      .231
2000      1961      235      246      276      $2,297,430      .236
1999      1714      215      230      222      $1,886,862      .243
1998      1664      210      230      238      $1,631,331      .251
1997      769      106      102        86       $410,307        .249
1996       655        62       73       92      $315,324         .203
1995      383        33        52        43      $153,849         .199
1994      514       50       62       86      $214,903         .220
1993       423        42        41       58      $175,665         .199
1992       403       54        42        32      $214,760         .218
1991       304       36        27        36      $137,383         .207
1990      180       22        27        23      $55,405           .248
1989       194        19       24        35      $43,382           .227
1988       104         4       11        10      $12,295           .129
1987        45           6         5         3      $6,702             .217
1986         9           1         0         1      $483               .148
Total                 2202                          $15,786,504

2006 Archives
June: Yannick Gingras
May: Rick Zeron
March: George Brennan
February: Brent Holland
January: Mark MacDonald