Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Bret Hanover

Bay horse by Adios-Brenna Hanover-Tar Heel
Foaled on May 15, 1962, died November 1992
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Bret Hanover and trainer-driver Frank Ervin

One of the greatest race horses and sires of the 20th century, Bret Hanover had a personality plus to match, as he traveled throughout North America, winning the hearts of crowds everywhere as he bowed generously for them. He was responsible for bringing the sport of harness racing to the forefront of the sports pages at newspapers all over the country. He was also known to have helped Candy Company Brach, as he was crazy about their Starlight Mints--and his fans always made sure he had a healthy stash at every track he visited. In many venues he was known as the "Peppermint Kid," or "Big Bum," an affectionate name given to him by Ervin.

Bret Hanover was a foal of 1962 and was one of the most impressive yearlings found in the Hanover Shoe Farm group of 1963. He sold for $50,000 to Richard Downing of Shaker Heights, Ohio, who turned him over to training great Frank Ervin for his conditioning. Ervin has also trained and raced Bret's sire, Adios.

Bret was not a big horse, standing only 15.3 hands, but in person he appeared to be some 17 hands. He had such a presence and his eyes reflected the "look of eagles," thought once to be only something found in thoroughbreds. But Bret broke the mold.

As a freshman Bret won all 24 of his starts, including the Fox Stake, The Reynolds Memorial, the Battle of Saratoga, the Goshen Cup, the Little Pat Stake, the Roosevelt Futurity, the Ohio Standardbred Futurity, the Meadow Lands Farm Stake, and the Star Pointer Stake. That year (1964), he earned $173,298 and paced to a freshman mark of p,2,1:57.2. He was also named USTA Horse of the Year, the first two-year-old ever to have been given that honor.

Interestingly enough, Ervin drove Bret in most of those two-year-old starts but not all. In fact, his 1:57.2 mark, taken at Vernon Downs, came with assistant trainer Don Miller in the sulky.
Early in the season, Ervin had been warming Bret up at The Red Mile and the youngster had spooked badly when a band playing near the grandstand struck up a cord suddenly. Bret reared and flipped over backwards on top of Ervin, who was taken to the hospital with broken ribs and a tear in a kidney, among other lesser injuries. Ervin was forced to sit out from May 27 through July 6 of 1964.

At three Bret Hanover went out and won his first 11 starts easily for his trainer-driver, pushing his career stats to 35 for 35. Howver on August 18th at Springfield, Illinois Bret would taste defeat for the first time, as he was bested by the late-rushing Adios Vic who was known for his late burst of speed on a mile racetrack.

Bret Hanover would wind up his three-year-old season with 21 wins from 24 starts, and a 1:55 world record and Horse of the Year honors once more. He also became harness racing's second Triple Crown winner with victories in the Little Brown Jug (setting six world records), the Cane Pace and the Messenger. In addition he won the Arden Downs Stake, the American National, the Battle Of Saratoga, the Review Futurity and the Scioto Challenge Stake. He finished that season with $340,975 in earnings.

At four, Bret Hanover would score another spectacular season, winning 17 of 20 starts as the darling of harness racing fans everywhere. He also earned Horse of the Year honors for an unprecedented third time. He had several Match Races with the mighty Cardigan Bay, the down-under import trained and driven by Hall of Famer Stanley Dancer. In the first "Pace of the Century" at Roosevelt Raceway, Bret was bested by Cardigan Bay, but in a "Revenge Pace" a few weeks later, Bret did indeed, take revenge over the ten-year-old New Zealander.

Nearly the end of his four-year-old season it was announced that Bret Hanover would retire to the stallion barn at Castleton Farm of Lexington, Kentucky, and that half-interest in the horse had been purchased by Castleton for the then-unheard of price of $1 million. He would finish the year by time-trialing in T1:53.3 and earning $408,343. During this season he also finished third for the only time in his career. He retired with $922,616 in earnings, with 62 wins from 68 starts, and five seconds and a third to his credit as well.
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The racing progeny of the indomitable Bret Hanover could fill an entire book, and his exploits and achievements as a sire and broodmare sire are the things that legends are made of--and with good reason. Bret was as good in the breeding shed as he had been on the race track.

Some of his top performers include: Even Odds, p, 2, 1:53.4 ($976,683), Storm Damage p, 3, 1:53.2 ($659,296), Strike Out p, 3, 1:56.3 ($454,064), Fan Hanover, p, T1:50.4 ($969,724), Barberry Spur p, 3, 1:50.2 ($1.6 million), and Warm Breeze, p, 4, 1:53.1 ($254,168), among others.

Bret Hanover has sired the winners of $64,380,702 through June 2004, from 1,394 starts, of whom only four were trotters that earned less than $2,000. Of the rest, all pacers, 547 paced in 2:00 or faster, and 48 were timed in 1:55 or better.

Bret Hanover passed away in November of 1992 at the age of 30. Originally buried at Castleton, his grave was moved to the Kentucky Horse Park and the statue that had been erected to him at Castleton Farm today stands at his gravesite. For more information on Bret Hanover, check out Don Evan's book "Big Bum, The Story of Bret Hanover" or John Bradley's profile on Bret in his book "Modern Pacing Sire Lines."

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