On the cusp of his trainee Confederate likely being feted as the Horse of the Year, the trainer continues a discussion started four years ago, shortly after he returned to America.

by Murray Brown

It has been nearly four years since I wrote a profile of extraordinary trainer Brett Pelling. The exact date was June 14, 2020. Pelling had returned from a 10-year stay in Australia where to the surprise of most and the dismay of many, he had left the sport from which he had climbed to the top.

At the time, Pelling’s belief was that he had left harness racing for good. He had achieved most of his goals. He had done most of what he wanted to do. It was time to allow his children to spend time with and get to know their grandparents.

Since then, the grandparents have passed and the kids have come back to America to seek their future. It was only natural that their parents would follow them.

Something not mentioned in that previous interview, but undoubtedly there, was that once this business of horse racing gets in your blood, it rarely, if ever, leaves. Simply put, he missed the sport and wanted to get back to it.

One of the questions I asked you in 2020 was ‘Why are you not yet in the Harness Racing Hall of Fame?’ I was certain that it was only a matter of time before that transpired. Since then, almost four years have passed and you still are on the outside looking in. I’ll ask the question again. Why are you not in the Hall of Fame?

“The answer today is the same as the one I gave you in 2020, I have no idea. Without being accused of arrogance, I believe my credentials are as good as those of anybody else already enshrined, and in terms of trainers of important races and money winnings better than anybody not named Ronnie Burke. I’ll repeat what I said back then; there are several Europeans who are in the Hall, yet not one from Down Under. I find it difficult to conceive of there being a prejudice against us, but why else?

“It’s interesting and very appropriate that a dear friend and loyal owner of mine, Dave McDuffee is due to be installed this coming July. Dave has often spoken to me saying that he felt it was a travesty that I’m not in. There is no owner, none, that I believe to be more deserving of HOF membership than Dave. He should have been elected years ago. He is now in and I am, as you say, on the outside looking in. It is something over which I have no control, so I try not to allow it to bother me. I fully intend to be in Goshen this summer to help in Dave’s celebration.

In conversations with McDuffee, he has often mentioned the high regard which you feel for his Papi Rob Hanover. He quoted you as saying that one of your goals for this past yearling season was to look at and play a hand in purchasing as many of the Papi Robs that appealed to you, as you were able to. How has that worked out?

“I’m now training nine of them — five colts and four fillies. In just three words, I love them! It’s very early, but I haven’t found a single thing about even one of them that I don’t like. One of the several things that impresses me about them is their uniformity. For some time, I had a problem in identifying each one. There are five of them that look almost exactly alike. They are a rich bay in color with very little, if any white. They are smart, they go straight, and are excellently gaited.

“I tried to look at all of his yearlings. To be somewhat frank, I feel he didn’t get near the book of mares that his racetrack rival, Tall Dark Stranger did. Some of it was because of their pedigrees. [Tall Dark Stranger] was the recipient of many of the mares by Somebeachsomewhere and his sons which obviously could not go to Papi Rob. Another factor was that Hanover was going to load up giving most of their top mares to Papi Rob. With the late news of [Tall Dark Stranger] coming to Hanover, some of the better mares which were previously destined for Papi Rob ended up with Tall Dark Stranger. The bottom line though is, with all truly great sires, if they are meant to be, they will be. If they are not destined for greatness, no number of top mares will enable them to get there.

“Until the proverbial rubber hits the road and their foals begin racing, you don’t really know how great a sire a horse will become. But as of now, I would be extremely surprised if Papi Rob isn’t that kind of stallion. He was a truly great horse. We saw how great on that ill-fated day at The Meadows when he played with his competition in 1.47, with a broken bone! But in my opinion, we never really got to see how great a horse he was. I would have loved to see him at Lexington that fall. I believe we would have seen true greatness on exhibit.”

With Papi Rob Hanover beginning his stud career, you have another of your great pupils Confederate entering the stud barn. Which was the better horse?

“That is an impossible question. They are two very different horses. The one thing they have most in common is greatness on the racetrack. [Papi Rob] was a tough, willing horse, maybe the smartest horse I have ever been around. Confederate was a perfect racehorse. He could and would do anything and everything you asked of him whenever you asked it. With both horses, I don’t believe we really saw their absolute best.”

Tell us about your present racing stable. Do you still have 27, which you told us in 2020 was your ideal size?

“Actually, the ideal size of my racing stable isn’t necessarily based on a number, but rather on the number which my anal personality can adequately oversee in a single stable. At White Birch Farm where I was when we spoke in 2020, my stable had 27 stalls, so that was my happy number. I’m now at Magical Acres where I have 34 stalls in my stable. So, my ideal number would probably be 34. I actually have 33 horses presently in training.”

How is the stable presently constituted?

“Presently we have 33 horses in training at Magical Acres. They are all pacers. The only one older than 3 is our old warhorse Allywag Hanover. We are in what I would call a rebuilding year. The stars, with the exception of Allywag, have all gone to stud. We are equally divided among 2- and 3-year-olds, with 16 of each. Perhaps a headliner or two will show themselves among these.”

Why are you no longer at White Birch?

“I really don’t remember. It likely relates to a personality conflict between me and its owner Joe Parisi, Jr. I’m now at Magical Acres which is a terrific training center, but White Birch was ideal. It had become home to me. It was actually quite close to home which made it perfect. The track and paddocks were ideal. But we have made Magical Acres comparable in quality. I’m quite satisfied being here.”

Now that you are 65, how is life for you these days?

“On the whole, I would say pretty darn good. I still have the fire in my gut. I get up each morning looking for the day ahead. My immediate challenge is in hopefully helping Papi Rob Hanover in becoming the great stallion I hope he is destined to become. After that, we will have Confederate yearlings to choose, train and become the great horses I hope they will become. After that, who knows?”