Post Position: 4
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Bay colt by Western Hanover – Arterra – Artsplace
BREEDERS: Tactical Armor Prods Inc., Old Westbury, NY
OWNERS: Bulletproof Enterprises, Boca Raton, FL
STATISTICS:
2009 5 4 1 0 $245,775
2008 10 2 1 1 $245,400
Totals 15 6 2 1 $491,175
LIFETIME MARK: 2, 1:50.4, Dover Downs
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS & NOTES:
• Owned by Bulletproof Enterprises, who also race top three-year-old pacing fillies Yellow Diamond, Shacked Up and Not Enough, all winners of the Fan Hanover elims last Saturday, plus elim runner-up Showherthemoney
• Full brother to Western Terror, a career earner of over $1.2 million, winner of the 2004 Breeders Crown and fourth-place finisher (to Mantacular) in the 2004 Pepsi NA Cup
At two:
• Was second in his Governor’s Cup elimination, October 18 at Woodbine, before finishing fifth in $820,000 final on October 25
• Won only two of 10 starts, but both victories came at Dover Downs in Matron elim on November 8, when notching a career best 1:50.4 and in the $257,850 Matron final on November 15
• Finished fourth in his Breeders Crown elim at The Meadowlands on November 21, but was fifth to Well Said, four lengths behind, in final
At three:
• Opened season with victory at Pocono Downs in 1:53.2 on May 13
• Won the Rooney at Yonkers on June 13 by seven and three-quarter lengths in 1:52.1
• Won his Cup elim at Mohawk in 1:51.1, defeating Annieswesterncard by two and one-half lengths
ELIMINATION QUOTES:
Josh Marks, Assistant Trainer
“He’ll get a lot of turn-out time on the farm, probably train him Wednesday. We’re at Ideal Training Centre.”
“I was very happy with the trip we got tonight – it was the easiest division as far as fractions. There was not a lot of pressure, so he kind of got his own way. When he was called on, he sprinted away very easy. He’s on the top of his game right now.”
“I’m going to leave it up to my driver (George Brennan, to choose a post position) – that’s his job. It all depends on how the trip goes in the final. If the speed’s fast, I’d want him off the pace. If the pace is slow, on the lead would be nice.”
“It’s probably the biggest feeling of my life. My girlfriend Tracy (Brainard, the trainer) is 31 and I’m 26. For young people like us to have a good chance in the final is like a dream come true.”
“He’s pretty easy-going, that’s the best thing about him. He’s very easy on himself.”
“Jeffrey Brooks bought him. He’s a full brother to Western Terror, who we also had.”
“I was born in Smith Falls, Ontario, and Tracy was born in Binghamton, New York. We were both raised in the business. Her father, Dennis Brainard, was a very successful trainer, and I’m a third-generation horseman.”
Trainer – Tracy Brainard
Age: 31
Career wins through June 21, 2009: 460
Career earnings through June 21, 2009: $4,454,093
Having grown up in a racing family, Tracy Brainard started training in 1997 and brought a modest number of racehorses to post for four years before taking time off to have her daughter in 2002.
When she returned to action in 2006, it didn’t take her long to re establish herself as a force to be reckoned with at Vernon Downs. Regardless of how many starts she has had in any one year, Tracy’s UTRS has always been noticeably impressive and the show she has put on with her overnighters in the last three years has been dominant to say the least.
While most of her career has seen her rigging up overnighters, racing younger horses has been somewhat different for Brainard, but the outcome has remained the same. Tracy shares the training duties with her boyfriend, driver Josh Marks. She topped $1.5 million for the first time last season, quintupling her previous career best. Last season, she established a record for most wins in a season (101) at the Vernon Downs meet. She also ranked among the top trainers at Tioga Downs. By season’s end, she had started more than 500 horses that found the winner’s circle at a 35 percent clip.
The Binghamton, NY native obtained her trainer’s license in 1997. Since returning to work full time in 2006, she has quickly built one of the most successful stables on the New York circuit.
Driver – George Brennan
Age: 42
Career wins through June 21, 2009: 5,611
Career earnings through June 21, 2009: $87,057,772
George Brennan, a native of Monticello, New York, has taken the racing world by storm over the past decade. Brennan first cracked the national map in 1995 by winning 224 races and having his mounts earn $2,535,773, which ranked him 23rd among all drivers in North America. That money total was also more than 10 times what he earned driving in 1994. There’s been little stopping him since. During the 2007 campaign, Brennan posted earnings of $9,065,239, a total which ranked him ninth in the North American earnings list. It marked the 13th straight year that he finished among the top 25 money winners in the sport.
Spending the majority of his time on the New Jersey circuit last year, he had an outstanding season at The Meadowlands. He was third in victories (152) and fourth in both earnings ($3,667,360) and UDR (.252) at their winter/spring/summer meet. During the Big M’s fall session, he was second in all three categories with 33 wins, purses of $1,190,537, and a .275 UDR. George was second in UDR (.322) at Harrah’s Chester, while ranking in the top 10 in wins and earnings.
“I wanted to be with horses from the get-go,” Brennan said. “My stepfather, Joe Ricco, Jr., raced at Monticello and I was a typical racetrack brat. He never pushed me into racing. It was my choice. But he respected my choice and taught me what he knew.”
Brennan immersed himself in the business, doing everything around the barn. “As a kid, I thought I had to do too much,” he laughed. “But I think you’ve got to work your way up from the bottom. You just don’t see any of the top drivers that haven’t carried a stable at some time or another. You’ve got to have the horsemanship.”
Brennan met with quick success when he started his driving career and also got a lesson in reality just as quickly. “I drove in my first race in 1984 and I won,” he recalled. “Then in my next six or seven drives, I couldn’t even hit the board. I came back to earth real quick.” Brennan honed his skills at Monticello, then shifted north to drive in Maine and at Foxboro.
During the 1993 season he led the Foxboro driver’s colony in victories with 198, while ranking second in earnings ($287,852) and fourth in UDR (.327). In late 1994 he made the decision to move to New Jersey at the urging of longtime friend and trainer Ron Coyne. That season also saw George became the regular driver for A Stud Named Sue and Chippie’s Ruler. Both freshmen pacers went on to earn divisional titles that year.
Other Dan Patch divisional champions for Brennan over the years include Hot Lead (1996 3CP), Galleria (1998 3FP), French Panicure (2000 MP), and Loyal Opposition (2005 MP). George also put his name in the record books.
In 2006 when he piloted the 5-year-old pacing gelding Holborn Hanover in the fastest race mile in harness racing history, a 1:46.4 score in a $195,000 US Pacing Championship division at The Meadowlands. In 1996, Brennan was honored by the United States Harness Writers’ Association with its Rising Star Award.