Trace Tetrick doesn't mind being known as Tim Tetrick's younger brother.
"Nah, it's OK," he said.
Still, he wouldn't protest if there comes a day when Tim is known as Trace's older brother.
"Maybe if I win 1,200 races someday, I probably wouldn't be Timmy's little brother anymore," Tetrick said with a laugh, referring to breaking his brother's record of 1,189 victories in a single year. "But it's all good."
It has been all good for Tetrick, who is well on his way to making his own name in harness racing. The 22-year-old driver has 345 wins this year, good for 16th place in North America, and has earned $2.4 million in purses. In August, he notched the most lucrative victory of his career, winning the $300,000 Kentucky Sire Stakes championship for two-year-old male trotters with Wizard Time, at odds of 54-1.
"That," the soft-spoken Illinois native said, "was pretty neat."
Earlier this season, Tetrick, at the age of 21, became the youngest driver to ever lead the standings at Hoosier Park. He currently sits atop the list at Indiana Downs, as well. Sentences containing "Tetrick" and "youngest driver to" are not uncommon, although usually refer to his brother. Tim Tetrick's accomplishments include being the youngest driver to reach the 2,000-, 3,000- and 4,000-win levels as well as being the youngest to ever win a million-dollar race.
Interestingly, Trace Tetrick reached the age of 22 with more career victories than his brother. Trace turned 22 on September 29, and had 802 wins. Tim had 778 triumphs when he turned 22 in November 2003.
On Saturday, Tetrick will drive in the Indiana Sire Stakes finals for two-year-olds at Indiana Downs. One of his top horses on the circuit this season has been two-year-old colt pacer Suprizemeagain, who has won 10 of 11 starts and earned $139,300.
"It's been a great year," Tetrick said. "I've gotten a lot of good horses and been winning a few races. I like racing in Indiana; it's a good place to race. I've been pretty successful over here."
Tetrick also trains a dozen horses in addition to driving. He's picked up 18 wins this year as a trainer.
"I enjoy it. It gives you something to work on every day. It keeps you active," Tetrick said. "It's always fun to win with someone else's horse, but when you win with your own it's a little bit more pride sometimes."
Tetrick might race at the Meadows in western Pennsylvania during the winter, but is in no rush to join Tim on the East Coast.
"I'll see if I can pick up a little work over there (at the Meadows)," Tetrick said. "I'll see how that goes for a while and we'll go from there. You just have to let it run its course. Time will tell when a person is ready to make the move. Maybe in a couple years."
As for similarities with his brother, Tetrick said, "A lot of people say we look alike. People say we sit in the bike similar. I don't think there's a lot of difference."
One other similarity is they both enjoy keeping busy, going weeks at a time without a day off.
"It's not as hard as it seems to be," said Tetrick, who talks with his brother at least once a week. "If it's what you chose to do and you love doing it, it's not as hard. If you really hate it, then it is hard."
(HRC)