On and off the racetrack, owner Brad Grant made headlines for the harness racing industry throughout the decade and for all the right reasons.
Grant captured some of harness racing's most prestigious events over the past few years after getting back into racing in a big way in the early 2010s. He checked off the race many have atop their bucket list when trotting filly Atlanta captured the 2018 Hambletonian at The Meadowlands, and added two-thirds of harness racing's pacing Triple Crown courtesy of Stay Hungry's wins in the 2018 Cane and Messenger.
Respected and revered outside of the Standardbred industry, Grant was inducted into the Milton Sports Hall of Fame for his part in the resurrection of the Milton Merchants Junior Hockey Club. And as the nation reeled from the tragedy that devastated the town of Humboldt, Sask. in 2018, Grant pledged 100 percent of pacer Humboldt's earnings for the month of April to the SJHL Player Assistance Program and successfully encouraged others to follow his lead. For his efforts, Grant was recognized as the 2018 recipient of the January Davies Humanitarian Award, presented by the U.S. Harness Writers Association to recognize contributions beyond harness racing.
Grant followed up his award-winning 2018 season with more success in 2019 thanks to older competitors the likes of Atlanta ($2,042,868) and Easy Lover Hanover $1,045,703), Breeders Crown and Dan Patch Award winner Ramona Hill, O'Brien Award finalists Reflect With Me and Capt Midnight, and he helped create harness racing history by signing the sales slip on the sport's first million-dollar yearling, Maverick.
What They Said About Brad Grant:
"Lots of very good horses. Big investor in industry." - Bill Andrew, Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Famer and Cam Fella Award winner.
"Meteoric rise during the decade from casual owner to the top echelon in Canada and the U.S. He's not afraid to spend his money on top stock whether it's racehorses or yearlings. He's very generous, well-liked and respected throughout the business." - Jack Darling, O'Brien Award winning trainer and recipient of the SBOA's Lloyd Chisholm Achievement Award and USHWA's Unsung Hero and Good Guy Awards
"Has always been involved in ownership but over the past 10 years has become the single biggest owner in harness racing. It's been fun being a small part of it." - Jody Jamieson, two-time World Driving Champion and three-time O'Brien Award winner
T1. Brad Grant
T1. Burke Racing / Weaver Bruscemi LLC
3. Robert McIntosh Stable