Winning major races comes via hard work, collaboration and everyone playing their role to a tee.

A horse needs to have some God-given ability thanks to its breeding - or the odd freak of nature who defies all the breeding buffs - a trainer is tasked with giving the horse the very best care and therefore the very best chance come race day and the driver’s job is to make split-second decisions to give the horse every chance of victory.

Each role is crucial and none any less important than the next.

A master trainer cannot turn a horse without any ability into a star and a driver cannot physically carry a slow horse across the line no matter how hard he or she tries and how many moves they make. And, no matter how good the horse, not even the great Lazarus or Lennytheshark could carry a bad driver like me into first place.

So, given all things being equal on the horse power and training front, let’s assess who’s who in the zoo when it comes to the standout drivers in the trots world.

These are my top 3 drivers across Australia and New Zealand as well as a few up-and-coming stars.

1 Luke McCarthy - New South Wales

The Master of Menangle picks up two or three wins each weekend on Sydney’s big track.

His ability to rate his horses out in front or find a gap at the sprint lane-less Menangle arena exemplify why he’s such a gun driver and the person who Emma Stewart and All Stars would turn to when in need of a pilot.

McCarthy drives great horses, but as I said earlier, horses cannot win races on their own and Todd’s big brother drove King of Swing a treat to win the last two Miracle Miles and the Hunter Cup.

2 Natalie Rasmussen - New Zealand

Before I was introduced to the sport, Natalie Rasmussen was winning the biggest races with her own champions.

Across the past decade, she teamed with Mark Purdon to form a lethal and unmatched partnership.

Natalie’s driving skills are immense. She’s fearless, knows when to make a move and never leaves a horse unlucky.

Small in stature but huge in presence whenever she’s on the track, which is rarer and rarer since stepping back from the trots.

3 Zac Butcher - New Zealand

I always like to throw one in from left-field and Butcher is my go-to guy here.

Sometimes what you see on the track tells only half the story and when I saw Butcher interviewed I understood why he was such a composed driver who makes great decisions on-track.

He’s well spoken, knowledgable and can articulate exactly what goes on during the heat of a race.

Young guns:

Leonard Cain - New South Wales/Queensland

Team McCarthy entrust Cain to drive anything Luke is not steering, which is a huge compliment in itself.

He’s based himself in the sunshine state for the upcoming Queensland winter carnival, so for those who are too slack to do in-depth form, following Cain across the big nights at Albion Park could be a fortuitous tactic.

James Herbertson - Victoria

Jimmy is a driver I’m always keen to be on whenever he’s steering a horse at better than 10/1 hiding back in the pack launching off a hot tempo.

Herbertson is the No. 2 ranked concession reinsman in Victoria, currently with 64 wins and more than half a million in stakes.

So, they’re my five drivers. A New South Welshman who has been killing them for years, an Aussie-turned-Kiwi who brains them for fun and an ultra-talented and impressive New Zealander who has already won some nice races down under.

Who are yours?

Pictures: Ashlea Brenan Photography

The opinions expressed in The Forum are those of the author and may not be attributed to or represent policies of Harness Racing Victoria, which is the state authority and owner of thetrots.com.au.