Bret Hanover
| Bret Hanover | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Breed | Standardbred |
| Sire | Adios |
| Grandsire | Hal Dale |
| Dam | Brenna Hanover |
| Damsire | Tar Heel |
| Sex | Stallion |
| Foaled | 19 May 1962 |
| Country | USA |
| Colour | Bay |
| Breeder | Hanover Shoe Farms |
| Owner | Richard Downing |
| Trainer | Frank Ervin |
| Record | 68 starts: 62 wins, 5 seconds and 1 third |
| Earnings | $922,616 |
| Major wins | |
| Triple Crown of Harness Racing for Pacers | |
| Awards | |
| 1964, 1965 and 1966 Harness Horse of the Year | |
| Last updated on 24 August 2011 | |
Bret Hanover (May 19, 1962 – November 21, 1992) was an outstanding American Standardbred racehorse. He was one of only nine pacers to win harness racing's Triple Crown of Harness Racing for Pacers and won 62 of 68 starts.[1] He was the first horse to be voted Harness Horse of the Year three times and remains the only pacer to have received that honor.
Breeding
He was foaled at Hanover Shoe Farms in Hanover, Pennsylvania, on May 19, 1962. Bret Hanover was by the leading sire Adios and out of Brenna Hanover by Tar Heel, a Little Brown Jug winner and a leading sire.
Racing career
Trained and driven by Frank Ervin in his 1964 debut season in racing, two-year-old Bret Hanover was undefeated, winning all 24 races he entered and remaining undefeated for 35 races. He was the first two-year-old ever to be named USTA Horse of the Year.[2]
In his second season of racing, he had 24 starts for 21 wins, a 1:55 world record, and Horse of the Year honours again.
In his last year of racing as four-year-old, Bret Hanover made 20 starts for 17 wins for a career total of 62 wins from 68 starts. He never placed worse than third and was voted Harness Horse of the Year in 1964, 1965 and 1966 by the US Trotting Association and the US Harness Writers Association. Bret Hanover was beaten by only three horses ever: Cardigan Bay, Adios Vic, and True Duane. He dueled with Cardigan Bay, harness racing's first millionaire, including in the Pace of the Century, won by Cardigan Bay. Bret Hanover beat Cardigan Bay in the Revenge Pace, also set up by Yonkers Raceway. Bret Hanover was one of only nine horses in history to win the Triple Crown of Harness Racing for Pacers. He retired as the fastest Standardbred pacer.
Stud record
Bret Hanover sold to Castleton Farm in Lexington, Kentucky, for a record $1 million. He sired the winners of $64,380,702, including Little Brown Jug winners Melvin's Woe and Strike Out. He is remembered as one of the better broodmare sires.
After his death on November 21, 1992, Bret Hanover was buried at Castleton before his grave was moved to Lexington's Kentucky Horse Park. The statue that had been erected for him at Castleton Farm today stands at his gravesite.
Numerous stories have been written about the horse, including the book "Big Bum, The Story of Bret Hanover".[3] Bret Hanover bowed to the crowd after every win, his driver Frank Ervin got out of the sulky, and Bret then crossed his front legs and bent over as the crowd responded.
Reference list
See also
For links to other harness horse information and biographies, see also: