Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

A New Tetrick on the Chicago Scene

January 1, 2006

A new set of Kelly green, gold and white colors are dotting the Chicagoland harness landscape. Who do they belong to? Well, if these colors sound oddly familiar it is because they belong to Trace Tetrick, younger brother of top driver Tim and the third youngest son of trainer Tom Tetrick, Sr.

Born in 1986, Trace, now 20, drove in his first matinee at Charleston, Illinois at age 14, finishing fourth with the family-owned pacer Nu Trace. He drove in only two other matinees that season, nailing down a second and third-place finish.

In the summer of 2003 Trace began to focus seriously on his driving abilities—all at the age of 16. He competed on the Illinois county fair circuit, starting 61 times with eight wins, 10 seconds and 16 thirds for $12,418 in earnings and a respectable .310 UDRS.

In the 2004 the 17-year-old began the year by driving in qualifiers at Blue Grass Downs, and spent the summer again racing on the Prairie State fair circuit. He headed over to Prairie Meadows in Iowa, in the late fall, and shortly after his 18th birthday, scored his very first pari-mutuel victory.

"That was just my third lifetime pari-mutuel drive," Trace recalled. "The horse’s name was Flash Pickens, and he was my dad’s horse, so that made it all that more special."

Trace wrapped up 2004 with 32 winners from 152 drives (including his lone pari-mutuel win), with 34 seconds and 26 thirds. His mounts earned $64,930 and he upped his UDRS to .392.

In 2005 Trace doubled his previous year’s drives, going behind the gate 325 times. He still competed heavily at the fairs, but now made frequent trips to both Balmoral and Maywood Parks, in addition to lengthy stays at Colonial, Indiana and Bluegrass Downs. Last year he steered 54 winners to the tune of $138,357 in earnings, with 41 seconds and 44 thirds and a .281 average.

This year, Trace’s career has literally taken off, as the horses he’s driven to date in 2006 have already earned well over half a million dollars--$517,417 to be exact. His record of 93-108-103 from 986 starters found him first competing at Indiana Downs and now as a regular on the Chicagoland circuit.

"I always wanted to drive," Tetrick says. "I enjoy being in the spotlight of the sport, which is the driving end of it."

Tetrick says that after graduating from Fairfield High School in 2004, he never thought about doing anything else besides driving horses for a living.

"To me, driving race horses was the next best thing to being a professional athlete," Trace notes. "The fairs are the best place for anyone to learn to drive. At the fair you learn how to drive, and how to protect yourself and take care of your horse. At the fairs you can teach your horse something—people are there to have fun and make some money."

Trace shares his love of driving with older brother Tom, Jr (27) and Tim (25), a noted driver both in Chicago and now a headliner at Dover Downs. He says training and driving was a family affair ever since he can remember.

"Growing up, when we’d get horses in, we’d pick the few that we liked and worked with them, as there were always plenty to go around," Tetrick says. "If dad and mom didn’t want a particular horse to work with, then the kids would have their choice. I’d go to school and then come home and work with them."

Simply Squeaky was Trace’s first horse, a $4,000 claimer that raced at Fairmount Park in south central Illinois.

"He was a black, flashy stud horse, but great to work with and I liked him and jogged him every day. He was the first horse I got started with in terms of real training, when I was 12," Trace recalls.

Eight years later, things are much different for the soft-spoken, non-assuming horseman. Trace conditions 19 horses housed at Balmoral and drives regularly at both the Crete oval and at Maywood Park on a nightly basis.

"Some of these horses are my Dads, a few are Timmy’s and the rest are some owners and a few are mine," Trace notes. "I spent the summer racing in Indiana at Hoosier Park and Indiana Downs. The people were really nice and I had a lot of success for the first time every being there. At Hoosier Park I was in the top ten drivers and at Indiana Downs I was in the top five. I won the first race on opening day at Hoosier Park."

Trace says he enjoys being involved in both the training and driving aspects of harness racing.

"I think to be a good driver you need to be able to train a horse well," Trace says. "I just want to be successful at what I’m doing."

"All the drivers in Chicago have been really nice to me. This is a lot tougher place than Indiana in terms of driving. In Chicago the drivers have a flow, they’re always moving and going," he says.

"At Indiana Downs, the strategy is more like driving on the half, even though it’s a mile track," Trace adds. "When you do come with your horse you have to come with a full head of steam or you won’t make it. In Indiana the stewards are more particular about driving things—you have to sit up straighter in the sulky and you can’t leave a mark on the horse or you’ll get fined. You have more rigid set of standards over there which they expect the drivers to adhere to. Whereas in Chicago you’re allowed to have more of your own style."