Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Odds On Racing's

Driver of the Month
for April 2010

Peter Wrenn

Peter Wrenn, 46, was born into a Michigan harness racing family. He has followed in the footsteps of his father, the late horseman Howard Wrenn. Peter’s brother’s Gary, Ron and Mark all preceded him in having success in harness racing.

All of the Wrenn boys became involved in their father’s business as young toddlers. Peter began cleaning stalls at age six and was driving horses at age 14.

“I’ve never held any other kind of job,” Wrenn has said.

Peter Wrenn

Peter Wrenn winning at Hoosier Park in March 2010

Wrenn’s career took off in 1983 when he won the first of four straight driving titles at Saginaw Valley Downs. In the late 1980s and early 1990s he regularly captured the driving titles at both Pompano and Hazel Parks and in the spring of 1994 he headed east where he plied his wares for several years. He returned to Michigan in 1997 and once again took over as the head of the driver’s colony in the Wolverine state.

In 1991 Wrenn captured the first big race of his career when he piloted Dare You To to a victory in the $100,000 Battle Of Lake Erie at Northfield Park. The 6-year-old pacer stopped
the timer in 1:53.1, which equaled Covert Action’s world record (at the time) for an older
pacing horse on a half-mile track.

His move east in 1994 allowed Peter the opportunity to drive many top horses. He won the richest race of his career in late October of that year when he piloted the 2-year-old pacing filly Yankee Cashmere to a 1:56 score in the $501,400 Cadillac Breeders Crown Final at Woodbine. In that mile the daughter of No Nukes rallied from ninth place at the top of the stretch to defeat Hattie by two lengths.

In his first season of Big M driving in 1995, Wrenn won both the Governor Alfred Driscoll Final and the U.S. Pacing Championship with the Bill Robinson-trained Under Orders. He finished eighth in the 1996 driving standings with such top performer as early season sensation Haukules, winner of the Trendsetter and Exit 16W [over Meadowlands Pace winner Hot Lead. His other successes came with X-ing, No Laughs and world record holder Athena Blue Chip.

The best horse for Wrenn was the outstanding free-for-all pacer Hi Ho Silverheel’s. He enjoyed
a solid 5-year-old season in 1996 and Wrenn was a big part of the pacing horse’s success. Hi Ho had 11 wins in 23 starts that year and banked $280,625. Peter drove the son of Walton
Hanover to a 1:53.1 score in the $100,000 Joseph McLoone Freehold Cup.

The 1997 season saw Hi Ho win seven times in 11 season’s starts and earn $313,250. Wrenn steered him to victories in the $180,000 Graduate Series Final, the $100,000 Joseph McLoone Freehold Cup, the $100,000 Nicole Hudock Memorial, and a $50,000 leg of the Classic Series Pace. In 1998, his final campaign on the track, Hi Ho Silverheel’s had 11 wins in 24 starts and cashed $240,016 in paychecks. Peter drove him to wins in his final three career starts, with those triumphs coming in the $50,000 Magical Mike Pace, the $38,000 Senior Jug, and the $18,000 Bret Hanover Pace.

Wrenn was behind the 2000 Michigan Standardbred Trotter of the Year Benn’s Delight, a seven-year-old mare. Benn’s Delight recorded fourteen wins, eight places and three shows in forty three starts. Her 2000 earnings totaled $98,438 and her lifetime earnings are $187,968. He was also the pilot behind the 2003 Michigan Standardbred Pacer of the Year , Bobnoxious. As a three-year-old colt, Bobnoxious recorded sixteen wins and two seconds out of twenty-one starts earning $251,953.

Top horse for Wrenn in 2006 was the 2-yearold pacing filly Princess Michi. The daughter of
Artistic was victorious in half of her 10 starts and earned $95,487. She was a 1:59.1 winner for
Peter in the $122,066 Michigan Sires Stakes Final at Hazel Park.

Wrenn also won another Michigan Sires Stakes title last year with the 2-year-old trotting filly Irene’s Lucky Lady. The Winky’s Pine miss rolled to a 4-1/2 length score over Lady
Lockkeeper.

“I can’t win every race, but (the people who bet on you) expect you to,” Wrenn concluded.
“Some guy will call you a bum in one race, and then if you win the next one, you’re the greatest guy in the world.”

During the 2006 season, Peter was the leading driver in all three categories at Hazel Park with
177 wins, purses of $1,002,182, and a UDR of .376. He also swept the crowns during the fall
session at Northville Downs with 105 victories, money of $253,676, and a sizzling UDR of .491!

Peter was second in both earnings ($127,053) and UDR (.425) at Sports Creek Raceway’s fall
meeting. Wrenn’s overall total of 411 victories placed him 25th among the continent’s best and
was his highest win total in more than a decade.
ArtriverderciHooserCupWin

Peter Wrenn drives Artriverderci to win the 2007 Hooser Cup

At odds of 6-1, Wrenn and Artriverderci grabbed the title in the 11th edition of the $500,000 Hoosier Cup at Hoosier Park on Saturday night, June 30. The event was part of a special season finale with purses in excess of $1 million. A crowd of 3,496 was in attendance.

Closing in on 7,000 career wins and having a standout year with more than 300 victories already to rank him fourth in North America, Wrenn got away fourth early with Artriverderci and was able to find an opportunity to move his charge to the outside down the backstretch to take the lead. From there the outcome was never in doubt as Artriverderci opened up a clear lead midway down the stretch.

Artriverderci made it to the wire in front in a career-best 1:51.3.

"I wasn't looking for the lead...but the horse on the rail was getting pretty rough," said Wrenn in the winner's circle. "It worked out. He's such a big, grinding colt. Once he cleared, it was easy for him. It was to his favor that he was able to roll on like that."

"Anytime you can look over your shoulder at the half in a half-million dollar race and not see anybody around you, you're in pretty good shape," added Wrenn.

The Wrenns recently (Spring 2010) relocated to the Indianapolis area to compete on the Indiana circuit full time. They have 25 horses in training for the upcoming season, including Indiana’s 2009 Two-Year-Old Trotting Filly of the Year Msnaughtybynature.

Peter Wrenn's Career Statistcs through March 29, 2010
Year     Starts Wins    2nds    3rds     Earnings     UDRS
2010         80       26        10        10      $173,950        .436
2009      2315      462      390      287      $4,087,204     .334
2008      1904      422      346      273      $1,835,560     .370
2007      1192      302      225      182      $1,427,401     .409
2006      1606      411      275      222      $1,842,693     .397
2005       845      136      125      120      $852,108       .290
2004      603      102      107        79      $641,944       .311
2003      1311      225      184      176      $1,539,507    .294
2002      1325      212      183      204      $1,253,224     .288
2001      1389      217      196      207      $1,290,561     .284
2000      1567      296      237      192      $1,640,617     .314
1999      1425      265      185      182      $1,645,238     .301
1998      1665      291      254      239      $1,945,589     .307
1997      2091      370      285      271      $3,058,215     .248
1996      1536      217      174      204      $3,685,248     .248
1995      1905      249      218      233      $3,572,815     .235
1994      1734      249      230      206      $2,316,144     .257
1993      1964      361      246      286      $1,608,679     .302
1992      2095      427      344      280      $1,682,765     .340
1991      1990      352      326      251      $1,600,894     .310
1990      1589      296      258      202      $1,417,122     .319
1989      1782      326      260      242      $1,431,777     .309
1988      2101      389      325      310      $1,588,240     .320
1987      1808      282      273      258      $1,307,345     .287
1986      1039      178      155      130      $451,223        .296
1985      1197      229      195      171      $562,274       .329
1984      1322      199      187      182      $398,773       .275
1983      1119      179      163      158      $259,177       .288
1982      448        60        70       73      $86,241         .275
1981      373       40       40       31      $60,239         .195
1980      264       25        25       29      $44,839        .184
1979      154         5       18       23      $25,393        .147
1978       16         3          1         3      $1,197          .285
Total                 8,135                        $46,830,489