sam "chip" noble
Driver Sam “Chip” Noble III was born on December 15, 1953. He grew up in Xenia, Ohio, near Lebanon Raceway, learning about the business from his father. Noble won driving titles at Latonia Race Track and Lebanon early in his career before focusing his attention on bigger circuits.
A fixture primarily at Scioto Downs and Ohio tracks for decades, Noble is best-known for driving Nobleland Sam p,3,1:53 ($451,417), who, over a two-year racing career in 1985-86, won 23 of 35 starts. Other notable horses driven by Noble include the world champions Concussion p,4,1:54.1 ($780,362) and Deal Direct p,2,1:51.4 ($298,312).
The United States Trotting Association (USTA) records Noble as having had 5,105 victories and purse winnings of $28,393,841 as a driver, and more than 1,000 wins and $6,929,303 in earnings as a trainer since the USTA began keeping trainer statistics in 1991. Noble was also one of the top percentage drivers in the sport, winning North American Universal Driving Rating (UDR) crowns in 1978, 1981 and 1983.
He was the first trainer to win the Jerry Kaltenbach Memorial Award twice, taking home the title as the top conditioner on the Ohio Sires Stakes circuit in 1993 and 1998. He earned the Meritorious Award from the Ohio Chapter of the United States Harness Writers Association in 2000.
Noble was chosen to represent the United States in the World Driving Championship in 2001 and 2003, and was inducted into Ohio’s Harness Racing Hall of Fame in 2003.
Chip Noble was a director of the USTA and the Ohio Harness Horsemen’s Association, as well as a member of the Little Brown Jug Society.
In addition to his horsemanship, Noble was known for being one of harness racing’s greatest ambassadors with the media and a friend to many in racing.
Chip Noble died on January 13, 2014.