Trace Tetrick; Not making a big deal on 7,000th win

Trenton, NJ — Harness racing driver Trace Tetrick tried not to make a big deal out of it.

In December, just for the heck of it, he checked out his win total to see how close he was to 7,000.

He needed about 150, so once the season started, he forgot about it, until the April 8 pre-race show at Harrah’s Hoosier Park reminded everyone that Trace was seven wins away. There was no turning back; he knew the countdown each time he climbed into the sulky.

Tetrick won four races that night after the announcement in Indiana and took care of business on Monday (April 10) by winning three races at Miami Valley Gaming. The landmark victory came when Trace drove Universal, a 4-year-old son of prolific Ohio sire Downbytheseaside, to a two-length victory in the program’s 12th race.

Tetrick had some bad luck with Universal in previous races, be it a poor post position or getting locked in behind slow horses during the race. He just hoped there wouldn’t be a long wait until he hit the milestone, noting that success and failure often comes in binges.

“Sometimes you run into a wall where nothing’s working out; you’re in the right spot but they don’t come through for you,” the Indiana transplant from Illinois said. “There’s other times you can be in all the wrong spots and the Red Seas part, and you end up winning anyhow.

“I didn’t think much about it going into it (on Monday). I thought I had some competitive shots, some big money for the guys I was driving for, and that’s my main job. The win would come. I thought if I was just kind of patient and did the right thing everything would work out.”

That’s exactly what happened, as Universal, a 5-2 favorite, got away third in a quick :26.4 opening panel. Tetrick then made his move through the middle of the race with quarters of :56 and 1:23.1 before pulling away for a two-length win in 1:51.1.

“I left hard, then had to relegate back to third and fourth,” Tetrick said. “Then I was able to burst in and kind of grind away.”

And so it came to pass, another scrapbook moment for the 36-year-old, which gave him pause to look back on what has become a career no longer defined by being Tim Tetrick’s little brother. For some time now, Trace Tetrick has made his own name for himself racing in the Midwest. He has won major races, sire stakes championships and track titles while earning nearly $77 million in purse money.

“I’ve just been very fortunate so far, to be driving some good horses, to be competitive on a daily basis,” he said. “It’s kind of what (7,000 wins) means to me a little bit. The places I’ve been, I’ve been real effective in a sense, and made a few right calls and won a few races.

“Growing up you always want to be a professional in whatever aspect you choose; whether it’s a professional ballplayer of some sort, a hockey player. I’m just fortunate enough I could be a professional at this game. My goal is always to be competitive, no matter where I went or what I did. I just wanted to be competitive on a daily basis. If I feel I can go to work every day and be competitive and challenging, then I still have opportunities to succeed.”

It’s almost hard to believe Tetrick is a 20-year veteran already. After knocking around at matinee events when he was 14, Tetrick began racing Illinois fairs at age 16 and got his first win in 2003. Two years later Trace began racing at the tail end of the Indiana Downs meet, and the following year he started a long and successful run at Hoosier Park.

His breakthrough campaign came in 2007 when Tetrick won nearly $1.7 million in purse money. That was followed by three straight years of $2.4 million or more in earnings, which increased to $4 million-plus for four of the next five seasons. Trace’s first statement victory came in 2015, when he drove Freaky Feet Pete to the Breeders Crown victory for 3-year-old colt and gelding pacers at Woodbine.

“Freaky Feet Pete was a good horse,” Tetrick said. “That was a good story for that group. (Trainer) Larry (Rheinheimer) was a small town guy but he had a really good horse.”

Two years later, Tetrick earned harness racing’s “Rising Star” award at age 31. He won 569 races in 2017, still a personal best, and over $6.8 million, which was his record at the time.

During that season, Trace won the Breeders Crown finals with Blazin Britches (3-year-old filly pace) and Fiftydallarbill (2-year-old colt trot). He also captured three Indiana Sire Stakes championships, two Kentucky Sire Stakes championships, and one Ohio Sire Stakes championship. In those eight victories, Trace drove the favorite only once.

“I’ve been fortunate being from the Midwest to be able to get associated with horses that could win the Breeders Crowns,” an appreciative Tetrick said. “For being a Midwest guy, you have to try to be at the right place at the right time to have one of those horses come through your area and get attached to them. We all know most of the good horses are stabled on the East Coast just because that’s where everybody’s at. But a good horse can come from anywhere, like Freaky Feet.”

Tetrick lived up to his Rising Star status and became just a plain old star. After winning the award, he earned $23 million over the next four years, and last season claimed a career-best $7,240,262. This season has produced 160 wins and over $1.7 million in 820 starts.

Asked if he feels he’s at the top of his game, Trace said, “I feel I’ve learned a lot over the last several years. The patience and placement of certain horses, and the longevity of them. I may be getting different rides, more consistent rides than I was a few years ago.

“The last few years Erv Miller has had a really good stable here for the young horses. And he has a lot of volume of quality. I was driving for (Ohio trainer) Brian Brown and Brian would have one or two for each class as 2-year-olds. Erv’s got 100 head down there. I’m just getting more opportunity on a deeper volume of stakes horses; that would be the best way to put it.

“Tyler George has had some 2-year-olds this year. He’s been mainly a racehorse guy but the last couple years he’s dabbled in some babies. With him, Erv and Brian Brown, I’m lucky enough to be attached to the roster, I guess.”

In looking at the future, Tetrick said he may do some drives at Oak Grove in Kentucky and check out the Grand Circuit if a race presents itself. But he plans on mainly staying at Hoosier Park and Miami Valley; especially after Miami Valley just announced its 20 percent purse increase.

“The way the economy is right now in the Midwest, it’s a good place to be,” Tetrick said.

It’s also close to home, which has become important to Trace since becoming a father. He and wife Sandy — who he was set up on a first date with by fellow driver Peter Wrenn’s wife, Melanie — have a daughter Chloe who will be 4 years old in May. When she came along, there were suddenly more important things in life than getting a good trip.

“Your outlook changes,” Tetrick said. “It’s not just you and your wife. You try to make the best decisions you can. It used to be that the days didn’t seem to go as fast. After we had Chloe, there doesn’t seem like there’s that many hours in the day anymore. The days just go super-fast.”

But Tetrick is packing as much into them as possible. He is in a busy stretch now of racing seven days a week, but his commute to Hoosier Park is less than 10 minutes so he doesn’t miss much family time on those days.

At the rate he has been producing, Trace feels he has a lot of years left in him, saying that “If we all stay healthy and active, we still have the opportunity to go to work every day, so that’s the main battle right there, just stay healthy.”

The sport has provided a healthy living for both Trace and Tim, the Hall of Famer who his younger brother (by five years) says has impacted more people than just himself.

“A lot of people look up to him, not just myself,” Tetrick said. “He’s done things in the game that nobody else has. He set the record for wins and money for a couple years in a row; his style of driving has kind of changed the game a little too. Before Timmy you didn’t see too many people lay down on the bike. He’s kind of changed the style of racing a little bit.

“Maybe I look at it different because he’s my brother, I don’t know.”

And as far as breaking out of his brother’s shadow, Trace doesn’t worry about it one way or the other.

“We try to (stand on our own),” Tetrick said. “We’re still family. No matter what happens, good or bad, I’m always gonna be his younger brother. So, it’s not a bad title to have.”

And with the success Trace has enjoyed over the years, Tim would probably agree that being Trace’s older brother is a pretty good title as well.

by Rich Fisher, for the USTA