Trace Tetrick earned his 2,000th career win on Thursday evening at Hoosier Park thanks to a win with Ohmygosh Hanover.
The four-year-old gelding, who is trained by Tom T Tetrick and co-owned by Tetrick’s mother, Mary Alice, and CC Racing, captured the eighth race on the 13-race card to give Tetrick the milestone. The accomplishment was a family affair as Tetrick also scored with Blazin With Pride, another horse trained by Tom T Tetrick, one race earlier to reach win 1999.
With Ohmygosh Hanover, Tetrick was on a mission to reach his mark as soon as the gate folded, quickly sending Ohmygosh Hanover to lead from post nine. Their lead was short lived as the duo yielded the top spot to Ed Hensley and Jack Apple down the backside. Ohmygosh Hanover was able to take advantage of the pocket trip by tipping to the outside as the field turned for home and pace strong to the wire for the win by two and a quarter lengths in a time of 1:53.2 - a season’s best mark.
Sired by The Panderosa, it was the fifth career win for the lightly-raced gelding. Ohmygosh Hanover has now won three of eleven starts this season and is nearing the $200,000 career earnings mark. Ohmygosh Hanover paid $7.00 to win the event.
“I’m very happy, I’m very honoured,” Tetrick said of his accomplishment. “To win with my family’s horses in these last two races makes me very proud. I wasn’t really focusing on the number tonight, I just try to come out here every night and do the best I can.”
The 25-year-old native of Southern Illinois began working with horses at the family farm, racing on the Illinois county fair circuit before branching out into the pari-mutuel ranks seven years ago. In his first full season at Hoosier Park in 2006, Tetrick scored a twelfth-place ranking in the drivers’ standings. He followed up with a fourth-place finish in 2007 and became the youngest driver or jockey to ever win a title at Hoosier Park, scoring 116 wins during the 2008 season. Tetrick finished second in the standings last year as he reached the winner’s circle 114 times and bankrolled over $1.2 million.
Tetrick earned his 1,000th career win in 2009 and had his best year to date with over $4 million in purse earnings and 391 wins in 2011. Hoosier Park’s Vice President and General Manager, Brian Elmore, along with Tetrick’s family and friends, were in the winner’s circle to congratulate him on his milestone.
“On behalf of Hoosier Park Racing & Casino we’d like to congratulate Trace on win number 2,000,” Elmore noted. “Trace’s work ethic and professionalism are to be commended. He is a great ambassador for our sport, in the manner which he conducts himself and the contributions he has made to his charity D.A.R.E. We wish him continued success for the remainder of this season and throughout his career, and thank him for racing with us here at Hoosier Park Racing & Casino.”
Tetrick is currently leading the drivers’ standings at Hoosier Park Racing & Casino for 2012 with 142 wins during the season at Hoosier Park Racing & Casino, with only two days of live Standardbred racing left in the 80-day meet. Pete Wrenn, who has three consecutive Hoosier Park driving titles to his credit, is in second place with 119 trips to the winner’s circle and Sam Widger is third with 108.
(Hoosier Park)