Noel Daley is not a name many have heard of in north west Queensland, but the Mount Isa native is one of America's all time great harness racing trainers.
The 60-year-old Daley is one of the many Australian-born trainers who have enjoyed great success since moving to North America with over $61 million in career earnings, at one point training a team of 125.
He grew up in Mount Isa where he worked for Qantas before going full time in the sport he loved.
He first settled in California and then shipped east in 1990 to work as a groom for the Pelling Stable which won the American the training title six times in the 90s.
By 1997 he was ranked number one trainer and remained in the top 20 for the next two decades,
He went out on his own in 1998 and captured the training title himself in 2003 earning the unsurprising nickname of "Oz" for his background and probably, his wizardry in harness racing.
Daley's stable surpassed $2 million in winnings for the eighth consecutive year in 2010.
Daley returned to Australia in November 2018 to work for prominent New South Wales owners, Emilio and Maria and Rosati but within a year went back to the States.
He is still going strong with one of his horses Pebble Beach taking part in one of the richest races in harness racing, the million-dollar North American Cup in Ontario on Saturday night.
Pebble Beach is the top prize winner in the race and will driven by former top NSW reinsman Todd McCarthy.
When he returned to Australia in 2021 Daley told harness racing journalist Duane Ranger about his plans.
"I'll retire in Australia, but the USA is where I perform best," Daley told Ranger.
"I tried it (back in Australia). I was working a team of about 17, and I didn't like it, so I returned to what I knew best. I came back with my eight-year-old son Max. We are here until I retire, and that's when I will return back home probably to my house on the Gold Coast."
Derek Barry
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
