by Bob Heyden

Eternal Camnation — the richest female pacer of all time — was foaled on April 3, 1997. At 27, the daughter from the final crop of Cam Fella,died last month on March 5. This October marks the 20th anniversary of her final race, The Allerage Farms Mare Pace at The Red Mile. Her career earnings of $3,748,574 (101 47-18-5) is a number which has not been approached since.

Eternal Camnation was a $35,000 yearling and spent her entire career under the care of Jeff Miller. Her career bankroll made her the richest son/daughter of racing/siring legend Cam Fella (1979-2001). She won three Breeders Crowns at ages 2, 4, and 6. Eleven different drivers had the honor to sit behind her in her 101-race career: Eric Ledford, Ron Waples, Jeff Miller, Jay Cross, Mike Saftic, Chris Christoforou, Jr., Luc Ouellette, Trevor Richie, Richard Silverman, Joe Putnam and Jeff Fout.

She went into the Hall of Fame in 2011, fittingly, the same year that the richest ever pacer Gallo Blue Chip also entered. Those two once competed in the very same race, the 2001 U S Pacing Championship (now the Sam McKee), where “Gallo” was second to Goliath Bayama and Eternal Camnation finished eighth. She took her lifetime mark of 1:49.2 at Woodbine on Aug. 10, 2002. She appeared in 35 races valued at six figures and won 18 of them, just over 50 per cent. Her longest winning streak was 12, the last 12 races of her freshman season. Twice she won by a nose and three times by a neck.

Maybe the most interesting note on Eternal Camnation is the fact that she and Bunny Lake ($37,000 yearling) retired in the very same race on Oct. 9, 2004 at The Red Mile, as the top two female pacing earners of all-time!

Only Gallo had more than Eternal Camnation as of Oct. 9, 2004. She was second at $3,748,574 and Bunny Lake was No. 8 all-time at $2,843,476. You have to dig-deep, very deep, to get to No. 3 on the ladies list at that time, $1.9 for Worldly Beauty who was 34th all-time among pacers. 

Eternal Camnation was second and Bunny Lake fourth in the $100,000 Allerage that went to Carolina Sunshine in 1:49.3.

Actually, their last three races were together: the Milton elim (won by Always B Cam) and final (Loyal Opposition). In those two races, Bunny was second and fifth and Eternal Camnation finished third and second.

Eternal Camnation was favored in 42 of her 101 career races and Bunny Lake was favored in 55 of her 93 starts.

Average amount per year of racing? Bunny Lake at $568,695 and Eternal Camnation with $629,762.

The first time they ever met, was 5-year-old Eternal Camnation’s 47th career start and 4-year-old Bunny Lake’s 35th. It was in the Classic Series in 2002 where Bunny Lake finished fifth and was placed 10th and Eternal Camnation was fourth from post 10.

The first time Cat Manzi drove Bunny Lake he posted her first sub 1:50 win of 1:49.4 on July 13, 2002 at The Meadowlands.

Eric Ledford (1:49.2) and Trevor Ritchie (1:49.4) combined for back-to-back sub 1:50 victories with Eternal Camnation on Aug. 3 and 10, respectively, at The Meadowlands and then Woodbine.

Bunny also did it back-to-back, going 1:49, her lifetime best, at Woodbine in both the Roses Are Red elim and final on Aug. 27 and Sept. 4, 2004. They were her 89th and 90th lifetime starts with a brand-new mark.

Bunny Lake was 8-for-26 lifetime in six-figure races.

Bunny lake never raced at Hoosier Park, while Eternal Camnation started four of her six racing seasons there and five of six seasons there qualifying. Overall, in Indiana, Eternal Camnation was 15 7-4-1, the most starts and wins for any member of the $3 million club lifetime.

Bunny Lake was the first filly to earn $1 million in a single season among pacers. (Cathedra Dot Com followed close behind in that same year of 2001, both 3YOPF).

Eternal Camnation’s $908,346 season in 2003 at age 6 was the high-water mark for pacing mares for seven years, topped in 2010 by Dreamfair Eternal at $925,575.

The Meadowlands was the favorite/most frequented track by both Eternal Camnation (30-for-101) and Bunny Lake (34-for-93).

Luc Ouellette is the only common driver for both.. Here’s the list of the eight drivers who handled the 2001 HOY Bunny Lake, who raced three more seasons: Ouellette, John Campbell, Cat Manzi, Mike Lachance, Brian Cross, Mario Baillargeon, Rod Allen, and of course, John Stark, Jr.

There had only one trainer in both of their careers: John Stark, Jr. (Bunny Lake) and Jeff Miller (Eternal Camnation). Stark is the last trainer/driver to campaign any HOY (Bunny Lake in 2001).

Bunny Lake’s longest win streak was 18, the final 18 of her award-winning 3YO campaign back in 2001.

THE BROTHERS TETRICK KEEP PILING IT ON

In 2023, for the ninth time, the brothers Tetrick, Tim and Trace, combined to win better than 1,000 races. If it wasn’t for the COVID-19 year of 2020, they would be gunning for their ninth straight and 10^th overall in 2024.

Here are their individual slates added together as they continue the most dominant brother act ever:

2007 — Tim 902, Trace 401 — 1303

2008 — Tim 1189, Trace 287 — 1476 (all-time record)

2009-10 — They fell a couple of bucks short at 896 and 974

2011 — Tim 746, Trace 391 — 1137

2012 — Tim 670, Trace 382 — 1052

2013-14 — Did not reach 1,000

2016 — Tim 613, Trace 478 — 1091

2017 — Tim 533, Trace 569 — 1102

2018 — Tim 581, Trace 485 — 1066

2019 — Tim 758, Trace 478 — 1236

2020 — Did not reach 1000 (943)

2021 — Tim 658, Trace 559 — 1217

2022 — Tim 575, Trace 536 — 1111

2023 — Tim 530, Trace 531 — 1061

What about the record for those brothers not named Tetrick? In 1989 the Filions — Herve 814, Yves 134, and Henri 2 — combined for a total of 950.

Overall, the Tetrick brothers have won at an alarming rate of 21.994 per cent with 112,451 combined lifetime drives and 21,194 winners. Combined in-the-money drives? They had 51,875 winner’s circle trips in those 112,451 for a strong 46.13 per cent.

Trace’s best year for wins was 2017 with 569 victories.

Tim’s best year for wins is the all-time best of 1189 in 2007.

Trace’s best season for earnings was last year with $6,863,130.

Tim’s best year for earnings is still the high-water mark of $19,734,781 in 2008.

Tim also holds the record for drives in a single season at 4,728 in 2007.