FRANK
DRUCKER, Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway
YONKERS, NY, Wednesday, October 24,
2018—About seven weeks ago, an evening or so after Brian Sears won the 10,000th
race of his career, there was George Brennan, sitting next to him inside
Yonkers Raceway’s drivers’ room.
“We’re the old guys in the room,” Sears
said.
Well, ‘Old Guy’ Brennan joined Sears in
the five-figure club, mimicking Sears and winning his 10,000th
career race this past Friday night (Oct. 19th) at the pair’s home
away from home, Yonkers Raceway.
When diminutive Down Under Our Zak Whitby
A went the distance in that evening’s second race, chauffeur Brennan became the
16th North American driver to reach that number.
A rare race off the night before allowed the 51-year-old Brennan a chance to
reflect on what was then a milestone-in-waiting.
“It’s a good number, nothing I was aiming for,” Brennan said, “but I understand
it’s significant.
“I don’t know if my approach is any different than when I was 30 or 40. I still
love what I do, show up every night, keep myself in good shape and know the
horses.”
Of course, getting dibs for Ron Burke and Scott DiDomenico, among other leading
trainers, doesn’t hurt.
“The horsepower is the key,” Brennan said, adding, “The game has changed. Speed
stays longer, the horses—pacers and trotters—have a lot more go-go. You don’t
always have to be forwardly-placed, but it usually doesn’t hurt.”
If there has been one concession Brennan had made, it’s to his schedule.
“I’m here (Yonkers) about 98 percent of the time,” he said. “There’s no more
traveling and getting home at three in the morning. Sometimes, I go to
Freehold, the Meadowlands or Philly, but always local.
“It keeps me fresh.”
The Brennan resume recital is too meandering for this missive—the man’s no
one-hit wonder--so he was asked to choose a few that stood out.
In no particular order…
Glidemaster (2006 Yonkers Trot) – “It was unfortunate for John (Campbell). The
colt won the Hambletonian and Kentucky Futurity, then John was injured and
(trainer) Blair (Burgess) asked me to drive. The race was late that season
(Nov. 25th), and it was a very cold night here. He won first-up in
(1):55 [actually 1:55.4] to win the Triple Crown, so to be a part of that was
pretty special.”
(author’s aside…Brennan had driven Glidemaster in his previous start,
finishing second in the Breeders Crown at Woodbine)
Artist’s View (2007 Breeders Crown
3-Year-Colt/Gelding Pace, Meadowlands) – “Without a doubt, one of my favorite
races. He was out every step from the 10-hole and won (at 42-1). His trainer,
Buzzy Sholty, is one of my best friends, so that was great.”
Holborn Hanover (2006 U-S Pacing Championship, Meadowlands) – “I put a
world record [1:46.4] on him that day. Old bike, record lasted for years. Loved
him.”
(another author’s aside…Holborn Hanover’s effort remains the standard for
aged pacing geldings. He was five at the time)
…and then there was THAT day, Aug. 6,
2011, at the Meadowlands. In a span of 35 minutes, Brennan polished off the
$750,000 Hambletonian Oaks (Bold and Fresh, 1:53.1) and $1.5 million
Hambletonian (Broad Bahn, 1:53) at odds of 24-1 and 6-1, respectively.
“Who thinks that’s going to happen?,” he
said. “It was a hell of a day.”
During the conversation, around a mundane
10-race overnight card, Brennan bemoaned one aspect of the game that he says
has changed.
“I miss not having the classy 10- and 11-year-olds out there competing they way
they used to,” he said. This night featured ‘just’ three 10-year-olds, although
several of the races were age-restricted.
It didn’t take very long to connect the
dots between that musing and one Foiled Again
“What’s he’s done has been incredible,”
Brennan—who won thrice with him—said of the sport’s richest-ever equine. “It
was a honor to get to drive him.”
Alright, George Brennan, let’s put the
finishing touches on ‘What 10,000 Wins Mean to Me’.
“I think what I’m really proud of is that when I came down here (New York
metropolitan area) for good in 1994, I didn’t have 1,000 wins,” Brennan said.
“So, to win 9,000 or so races driving against top-notch competition, that’s
something to me.”
Brennan, a
native of Monticello, NY, won his first race--behind Rob Ron Romper--at his
hometown track as a high school junior back in 1982. His career purse earnings
exceed $171 million, ranking seventh all-time, according to the U-S Trotting
Association.
Asked when he
thought he ‘became good,’ Brennan offered that “I was going to drive horses for
a living regardless, but when I had early success at Monticello (inserting
credit to stepfather Joe Ricco Jr.), it helped.
“I’m 51, but I’m still learning, so
if younger drivers are picking things up from me, I’m picking things up from
them, too.”
