Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Odds On Racing

Driver of the Month
for February 2006

Brent Holland

Chicago reinsman Brent Holland scored six winning drives on Thursday night, January 26,2006 at Maywood Park. The 34-year-old Wilmington, Ohio native said it was the first time in his 17-year career that he accomplished that feat.

"It was a real good night for me," Brent said. "It kind of happened so fast that I really didn’t think about it at the time. I’d like to have those kind of night a few times a week."

Don’t let Brent’s words fool you.

Brent Holland

The lanky horsemen, who moved to Chicago in late 1990 from Ohio, has had his share of victories over the years, steering 2,704 winners to the tune of over $20.4 million.

He first hit the Chicago scene working for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Farrington.

"Fifteen years ago the race in Chicago was a lot more lucrative than it is today, and when I was offered a chance to work for Bob (Farrington), I jumped at the chance," Brent recalled. "It was a combination of a great opportunity and a chance to make more money. Plus, at the time I didn’t have a family, so coming to Chicago was very appealing to me."

Today, Brent shares his Monee, Illinois home with his wife of seven years, Dee, and their two boys, Nicholas, 3, and Joshua, 1.

Brent Holland steers a pacer around Maywood Park's half-mile oval.

"Having a family changes things, it’s important to be financially secure," Brent said. "If I wasn’t involved in racing, then for sure I would want to be involved in something where I could be really creative in what I was doing—possibly real estate. But right now, my family is a priority and it’s what motivates me to keep driving horses."

Since January 1, Brent is sitting third in the driver standings at Maywood Park, behind the leading Tim Tetrick and the red-hot Sam Widger. Donning lite blue and white colors, Brent came close but finally broke the $1 million barrier in 1998 and has easily surpassed that plateau every year since. His best year came in 2000, when he piloted 307 winners to $3,145,093 in earnings.

"I really don’t have a preference when it comes to driving over different sizes of racetracks," Brent said. "I just prefer to drive horses that are competitive. Having top drivers like Tony (Morgan) and Andy (Miller) go to another venue definitely doesn’t hurt the rest of the drivers in Chicago and it just opens the door a little more for the rest of us.

"Another thing about driving is that most people have this perception that some of these new bikes really make a difference and that if you don’t have one, you might not be as competitive as a catch-driver as another person. But I think you have to have a horse that is competitive in a race regardless of what type of bike you have on it. The night I won those six races, I was using a Blackjack in every race."

In the 16 years that Brent has been racing around the Windy City circuit, he’s seen many changes, but says he was most disappointed by the closing of Sportsman’s Park.

"That was very sad to me," Brent noted. "Sportsman’s Park was THE place to race…it was close to the city and it was just premiere in stature. It’s very sad that they chose to shut it down."

"Since I first came to Chicago there’s definitely more speed—not just in Chicago but all over the country," Brent said. "At this point in time for Chicago the pace is probably a little slower because we have much more cheaper horses than we ever did before. You’re not seeing as fast as miles as we used to go a few years back. Because of the cheaper stock, as a driver you need a one or two quarter break (in the mile) so they (the horses) can finish stronger."

Brent has driven his share of fast horses over the years in Chicago.

IdealTowne

Brent Holland winning with his favorite horse, Ideal Towne

"The pacer Dancer’s Ideal was one of my favorites," Brent recalled. "He was the horse that I broke in on the Chicago circuit with. He was a great two-year-old. I would define him as a fun horse because he was very quick. He was very manageable and you could rate him very easy. He was probably one of the quickest two-year-olds at a short distance for any that I’ve raced. And he was very poor gaited—he hit both knees very bad and was amazingly fast hitting both of them."

Dancer’s Ideal paced to a five-year-old record of 1:56.2, earning $272,755, with a 16-18-17 record from 137 career starts. Brent steered him to victory in the 1990 Orange & Blue Colt Pace Final on Super Night in 1:57.2.

"HR Sosa was another horse that was really just plain fun," Brent remembered. "One of the reasons he was so much fun for me is that I was able to drive him early in his career when he wasn’t mentally or physically very mature. And I was still driving him when he broke out and turned the corner and became a really good horse."

HR Sosa was a son of Illinois sire Nuclear Legacy, and paced his way to 20 wins and $308,091, with a record of 4, 1:49.1.

"But my favorite horse of all time would have to be Ideal Towne," Brent said. "He was a freak. He was so fast and so lame and had so much desire and guts. Those types of horses don’t come about very often. I got to watch him a lot early in his career and never got to drive him until he was older. He was unbelievable for a couple of years. Pretty much every start could have been his last, but he was always good for the big races."

Sportsman’s Park was THE place to race…it was close to the city and it was premiere in stature. It’s very sad that they chose to shut it down.

Brent was behind Ideal Towne for his 2002 victory in the $125,000 Dan Patch Stake at Balmoral, when he paced in 1:50.2, and was also steering the bay horse when he scored his lifetime mark of 1:49.2 that same year in a $15,000 Balmoral Open.

Brent Holland Lifetime Driving Statistics (through February 1, 2006)
Year      Starts  Wins     2nd    3rd     Money Won     UDRS
2006          97         9        4          9      $38,772             .147
2005      1758      161      175      203      $1,542,173         .185
2004      1270      116      115      142      $1,142,925         .179
2003      1454      163      181      190      $1,637,524        .225
2002      1502      179      191      172      $1,924,667        .228
2001      1779      249      236      227      $2,502,865        .256
2000      2013      307      290      258      $3,145,093         .275
1999      1913      286      240      235      $2,317,547        .260
1998      966        145      127      103      $1,155,321        .259
1997      624          72      71         88      $714,376            .226
1996      1218      186      174      159      $899,180            .276
1995      1345      228      173      185      $885,959            .287
1994      1254      208      169      166      $919,322            .285
1993      764        101      98       100      $603,964          .247
1992      186         27        22       24      $132,975           .254
1991      962        143      158      112      $406,051            .279
1990      711        117      96         81      $449,477            .278
1989        42           7      5             6       $5,331               .280
Total   2704                                      $20,423,522