Joe O'Brien (born Joseph Cyril O'Brien, June 25, 1917 – September 29, 1984) was a Canadian harness racing driver, trainer, and owner. He won the U.S. Trotting Triple Crown in 1955 and was inducted into the U.S. Harness Racing Hall of Fame, the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame, and Canada's Sports Hall of Fame. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest harness horsemen in the history of the sport.
Early life and career beginnings
O'Brien was born in Alberton, Prince Edward Island, Canada, the son of a successful farmer who was involved in the breeding and racing of Standardbreds. He won his first harness race at age 16 at a track in Summerside, Prince Edward Island. After finishing school, he chose to work as a trainer rather than attend veterinary college, beginning at the farm of William Latta in River Hebert, Nova Scotia, in the fall of 1935.
Within a few years, O'Brien became a dominant force in Maritime Provinces racing. He led all drivers in wins for five consecutive years (1943–1947) and won a record 11 races on a single racecard at Truro Raceway. In 1947, he led all drivers in North America with 128 wins, though the United States Trotting Association did not recognize his 44 wins in the Maritime Provinces and ranked him 7th nationally.
Move to the United States
In 1947, O'Brien moved to Del Mar, California, where he was hired to drive and train for the West Coast division of Castleton Farms, owned by Frances Dodge. He gained national recognition by driving the pacer Indian Land to victory in the $50,000 Golden West Pace at Hollywood Park.
In 1951, O'Brien became head trainer and driver for S. A. Camp Farms in Shafter, California, where he remained for the rest of his life. In 1954, he drove Scott Frost to a two-minute flat mile, making the colt the first two-year-old in the world to achieve that time. In 1955, O'Brien and Scott Frost won the Hambletonian Stakes, the Yonkers Trot, and the Kentucky Futurity, completing the U.S. Trotting Triple Crown. Scott Frost was voted the 1954 U.S. Two-Year-Old Trotter of the Year and the 1955 and 1956 U.S. Harness Horse of the Year.
O'Brien won the Little Brown Jug (a major pacing race) in 1958 with Shadow Wave and again in 1973 with Melvin's Woe. He won a second Hambletonian in 1960 with Blaze Hanover. In 1969, he became the first driver in history to have won both the Hambletonian and Sweden's Elitloppet.
Later career and records
After Sol Camp retired from racing in 1963, O'Brien was hired by J. Elgin Armstrong of the Armstrong Brothers operations near Brampton, Ontario, where he developed notable horses including Armbro Flight, Armbro Nesbit, and Armbro Ranger.
O'Brien was notable for breaking the two-minute mile barrier. On October 1, 1971, he drove Steady Star to a world record of 1:52 in a time trial at The Red Mile in Lexington, Kentucky. On May 27, 1973, at Solvalla Racetrack in Sweden, he produced the first sub-two-minute mile in the history of European harness racing with Flower Child. In 1975, he set a world record by winning 44 sub-two-minute mile races in a single year.
Fresh Yankee
O'Brien trained Fresh Yankee, a $900 yearling purchase that became the first North American-bred trotter to earn $1 million. During the four years O'Brien trained her for owner Duncan MacDonald, she was voted the U.S. Harness Horse of the Year in 1970, the U.S. Champion Trotting Mare of the Year four times, and the Canadian Horse of the Year in 1970. In 1967, she became the fastest trotting mare in history with a time trial of 1:57.1.
Industry roles and legacy
O'Brien served on the board of directors of the United States Trotting Association and as president of the California Breeder's Association. He died of cancer at his home in Shafter, California, on September 29, 1984. In 1989, Standardbred Canada established the O'Brien Awards, a national harness racing award program named in his honor. His career spanned 45 years, during which he won over 4,200 races and more than $20 million in purses.
