Jenny Petrelli looks to reel in the dream of a 20-horse stable

by Chris Lomon

Jenny Petrelli is undoubtedly a horsewoman with a plan.

There is no trace of conceit or entitlement in her tone. Instead, there is a sense of purposefulness and belief in what she is chasing.

“I want to have a 20-horse stable by the end of this year, racing in New York,” Petrelli said. “That is my ultimate goal.”

Ambitious, certainly, but by no means an unattainable objective for the California-born horsewoman.

While the past few years have been somewhat tumultuous at times, a longstanding passion for racing and for its equine athletes has guided her through those ups and downs.

“I love everything about this sport,” she said. “It hasn’t always been easy, but you just keep your head up and push forward.”

The harness racing world has been a staple in Petrelli’s world for as long as she can remember.

Her parents have been associated with the sport for decades. Her brother Christopher has carved out his own successful career in the training ranks.

“I dropped out of school at a young age and had a barn of my own at Cal-Expo when I was 15,” she said. “I remember on a qualifying day there that the track made a qualifying day just around my dad’s horses. I think we still hold the record for most horses, around 45 to 50, qualified in a day at Cal-Expo.”

Jenny’s familiarity with racetracks extended well beyond the now-defunct Sacramento oval.

Family travel, centered around racing, has taken her to numerous states and venues over the years.

“I have seen a lot of racetracks – it’s wild,” she said. “Growing up, my favorite has to be Cal-Expo.”

Steve Wiseman is a big reason why.

The longtime horseman, who passed away in 2021, played a pivotal role in Jenny’s life, personally and professionally.

“He might not be family by blood, but Steve was someone who inspired me in so many ways,” she said. “The moment I wanted to be in this business — it is the craziest memory ever — was watching Steve train and it hit me that this is my dream, this is what I want to do. I couldn’t see myself doing anything else but being in racing.”

And then there are the pacers and trotters.

“It is not about the money,” Jenny said. “It is the horse, for me. These animals are such great athletes and have such wonderful character. They make me want to do this more and they make me want to get out of bed in the morning. Even if I am dog tired, these horses make me smile the moment I wake up.”

Secret Renegade had her beaming seven years ago.

Jenny, who had launched her training career in March of 2018, sent out the bay son of Pacific Renegade in the 10th race at Scarborough Downs on April 15 of that year.

The odds — Secret Renegade was the longest on the tote board at 38-1 — didn’t suggest she would land her milestone first win in the $3,000 pace that attracted eight horses.

With Matthew Athearn at the controls, the bay gelding, also owned by Jenny, got away smartly and took the lead by a little over a length through an opening panel in :29. Secret Renegade maintained that advantage after a half in 1:00.1.

She began to pace herself as the lead shrunk to a nose after three-quarters in 1:30.2.

At the wire, he was four lengths clear of his closest rival, stopping the teletimer in 2:01.2.

“It was exhilarating,” Jenny said. “He was the first horse I trained on my own. It was an amazing feeling.”

Just as it was when Secret Renegade pulled off a 142-1 upset at Scarborough, again with Ahearn in the race bike, three months later.

“It wasn’t close,” she said. “He came from the back and swooped them.”

A son of Somebeachsomewhere sits in the top spot on Jenny’s all-time favorites list.

The bay gelding, with a few white hairs on his forehead, would race 128 times for numerous connections, his final start coming in July of 2018.

“Eric Davis, who I was dating at the time, and I bought this horse out of Ohio, and he came to me and you could just tell his heart was bigger than his body,” Jenny said. “He would pace his heart out every time. He ended up being in an accident at Plainridge. He got back up, didn’t know anything was wrong with him, and he ended up tearing his deep flexor tendon. And he still wanted to race. He still finished the mile. He has this grip on me. He is my all-time heart horse.”

The eight years since haven’t always been easy for Jenny.

Yet, despite the hurdles, setbacks and at times more question marks than answers, she remains undaunted in her pursuit of personal success.

“I love the people that I am around in this sport,” she said. “I went through some tough times about six months ago. I work for Tyler and Brendan Davis, who I call my cousins, even though they aren’t. They are great people and they have done a lot for me. Tyler has about a dozen horses, so I help him with his stable.

“The toughest part is having to start my training career all over again. I had one horse, who was just claimed, so it really is about having to start from scratch.”

When she isn’t formulating a game plan to achieve her harness racing goals, Jenny is seeking net gains, albeit in a much different setting.

“I love to fish and I also love crabbing,” she said.

And yes, she does have some fishing tales to tell.

One of them, not surprisingly, has ties to the horse racing world.

“[Driver and trainer] Bryson Dunning and I were taking part in a bass pro fishing competition and we both caught one at the same time at the pond we were at,” she said.

Jenny is hoping to reel in similar success on the racetrack.

“I love this sport and I love horses,” she said. “My whole world has always revolved around them.”

She will have no shortage of support in her quest to operate her dream 20-horse stable.

“I have a lot of people cheering for me,” Jenny said. “I am going to push myself every day to go after my goals and continue doing what I love.”