All Brennan family want is another winner

By Jordan Gerrans

Veteran Queensland trainer Pete Brennan broke a 23-year winning drought on Saturday and was able to celebrate the special occasion with his entire family.

Now based at Gatton after training stints at the Sunshine Coast and Bundaberg earlier in his tenure in the industry, maiden galloper All I Want Is You handed Brennan his first victory in more than two decades in striking fashion.

All I Want Is You booted away in the Dalby straight under the riding of Les Tilley as the Better Than Ready gelding put more than two lengths on the chasing pack over 1400 metres.

The five-year-old gelding has a big crew of 13 individual owners, with seven carrying the surname Brennan.

Nearing 80 years of age, Pete Brennan is poking along with a few horses for fun these days and was smiling to share the triumph with those closest to him.

“It is a family affair,” he said.

“My nephew Steven rides him in work – he is on the committee there at Gatton – and my brother Mick gives me a hand. The horse is a family affair with a few friends tossed in.”

Brennan laments the lack of historical records of his early days training in the ‘Rum City’ of Queensland where he prepared a big team of gallopers before eventually relocating to Caloundra not long after the facility opened.

He first started a horse in a race back in 1971 and boasts a Bundaberg training premiership as well as city winners earlier in his career.

Racing And Sports’ statistics have Brennan preparing 64 winners dating back to 1995.

In the experienced trainer's own words, he has been ‘on the fringes’ of the industry while not training in his own name over the last couple of decades.

Before All I Want Is You got the cash on Saturday on Dalby Cup day, his last winner was Grace's Kin at the Gold Coast in April of 2001 from his Caloundra barn.

After a lengthy break, he has had a few horses in work at Lockyer Valley Turf Club for a touch over a year.

In his first effort for the stable on their home deck in July, All I Want Is You put in an admirable effort to be beaten by just under three lengths.

While the gelding was not supported in the market on Saturday at Dalby, the stable were optimistic he would run well.

“It was a good effort as that was only the third start he had for us,” the returning trainer said.

“Paul Nolan (Jnr) had him before us and he more or less told us that there was a maiden victory in him and that’s what we got.

“The circumstances of the race suited him and the 1400 metre start at Dalby helps a horse like him.

“He is a horse that does not begin too well and it is a pretty good run to the turn there at Dalby.

“I thought the horse was a top three chance before Saturday.

“He was unlucky in his first start for me at Gatton as he got behind a slow horse and on the Polytrack, he did not handle the surface.”

In his couple of decades away from training in Queensland, Brennan spent time living and working as a foreman in Victoria for a couple of stables around the Pakenham area.

“I have been on the fringes of the industry for some time but it is good to be back now and do something to keep me occupied,” he said.

Brennan is now searching for a Benchmark 55 grade race for All I Want Is You in the coming weeks after he progressed from maiden ranks on Saturday.

It was a big day for Tilley on Saturday at Dalby as he also claimed the feature $35,000 Cup aboard Rejoiced for respected Darling Downs conditioner Pat Webster. 

Tilley finished up with four winners across the Dalby program.