Peter Wrenn is no stranger to Indiana; after all, he drove Artriverderci to victory in the 2007 Hoosier Cup. Now, though, the Michigan native is hoping to discover sustained success there.

Wrenn has set up shop at the Indiana State Fairgrounds and is off to a quick start at Hoosier Park, where he entered this week as the track's leading driver.

For the year, Wrenn has won 159 races, which is tied for fifth most among all drivers in North America. Last season at this time, he had 70 victories on his way to 422 triumphs. He was the leading driver at Michigan's Hazel Park and also claimed titles at Northville Downs and Sports Creek Raceway.

"It's been a pretty good year," Wrenn said. "You can't do it without owners and good horses behind you. I think my start this year is a lot better than last year. I started a little cranky last year, and then I got rolling. This year, from the get-go, I've had a little bit better start out of the box."

Wrenn, 46, and his wife Melanie decided to explore options outside of Michigan and settled upon Indiana, which is enjoying its first year with slots-enhanced purses. Wrenn plans to race at Indiana Downs following the meet at Hoosier Park. Last year, he raced only three times at Hoosier Park and 17 times at Indiana Downs.

"I didn't want to leave too far from home; we've still got the farm in Michigan, so we thought Indiana would suit our situation real well," Wrenn said. "We thought about the Meadows (in western Pennsylvania) but it was just too far. It just wasn't our lifestyle. I've got a lot of young horses and being able to train at the state fairgrounds was a major factor. It's such a nice facility.

"The overnight purse money is nice and the racing is climbing the ladder pretty good. Their stakes races are strong. They've got a nice sire stakes program and the Hoosier Cup and the Dan Patch (Invitational). Stakes are available. It's always rewarding if you have a chance; you just hope to be in the right place at the right time and get lucky. I just hope I'm a part of it."

Wrenn won a career-high 634 races in 2007 and has 7,806 lifetime victories. He got his first win in 1978 and by the mid-1980s was regularly winning driving titles at Saginaw Valley Downs.

Later, he added championships at Hazel Park and Pompano Park before moving east and winning the 1994 Breeders Crown for two-year-old filly pacers with Yankee Cashmere. In 1995, he won the Goldsmith Maid with Elke Frazer, beating stablemate Continentalvictory by a nose.

The following year, Wrenn drove Personal Banner to victory over Moni Maker in the Breeders Crown for three-year-old filly trotters – handing Moni Maker her only loss of the year. He also won the Valley Victory with Allison Hollow, upsetting Malabar Man, and captured the Jugette with Paige Nicole Q.

“I don't keep track of wins, I just keep pitching away," Wrenn said. "Hopefully, my health prevails and I just keep going."

(Harness Racing Communications)