Driver Peter Wrenn joined elite company as he became the 14th driver in harness racing history to reach 10,000 driving wins career on Tuesday, June 19 at Hoosier Park Racing & Casino.
A winner of more than $72 million in lifetime purse earnings, Wrenn joins the likes of harness racing greats Herve Filion, Cat Manzi, Dave Palone, Tony Morgan, Walter Case Jr. and Dave Magee in the 10,000 win club.
Wrenn needed three wins coming into Tuesday’s card and with five scheduled mounts, he found the winner’s circle three times to reach the milestone. Wrenn collected win 9,998 with Skyway Jewel in race three and win 9,999 in the very next race behind Mr Gorgeous for trainer Larry King. Win number 10,000 came as Wrenn steered Blue Power to a gate-to-wire maiden breaking victory for trainer Ron Otto.
Hoosier Park’s Vice President and General Manager, Rick Moore, along with Wrenn’s family and friends, were in the winner’s circle to congratulate and acknowledge his accomplishment.
“What an accomplishment,” Moore said. “On behalf of Hoosier Park Racing & Casino and Centaur Gaming, I would like to congratulate Peter on this monumental milestone. He now joins elite harness racing company and we are honored to have Peter as part of the driving colony at Hoosier Park.”
The Michigan native recorded his first win in 1978 and by the mid-1990s was winning driving titles all over the country. Wrenn has competed in nearly every major race to date and included in his impressive array of major stakes wins are two Breeders Crown wins and a victory in the Jugette with Paige Nicole Q. Wrenn won a career-high 634 races in 2007 and has surpassed the $2-million mark in purse earnings seven out of the last ten seasons.
“First and foremost, I would like to thank all the owners and trainers that have given me the opportunity to drive so many great horses over the years,” Wrenn said after the victory. “I’ve been very fortunate throughout my career and I’ve had a lot of fun doing it.
“I didn’t feel very confident coming into tonight. But the horses showed up and we got lucky. I am really glad my family was able to be here tonight and to have that one under my belt.”
For the year, Wrenn has won 62 races with 36 of those victories coming at Hoosier Park, which lands him eighth in the leading driver standings at Hoosier Park for the 2018 season. Wrenn and his wife, Melanie, have three children, Tyler, Billy, and Courtney. The Wrenns relocated to Indiana in 2009 and have a successful training operation based out of Central Indiana.
Live racing at Hoosier Park Racing & Casino will continue on Wednesday, June 20 with a 13-race card starting at 6:30 p.m.
(With files from Hoosier Park)