Bret Hanover (May 19, 1962 - November 21, 1992), possibly the greatest ever pacing Standardbred, was born at Hanover Shoe Farms in Pennsylvania.

The son of the great sire, Adios out of the mare Brenna Hanover, Bret Hanover was born on May 19, 1962. He would become one of only nine horses in history to win harness racing's honour by capturing the Triple Crown of Harness Racing for Pacers. Adios (January 3, 1940–1965) was a champion harness racing sire. ... May 19 is the 139th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (140th in leap years). ... 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar). ... The Triple Crown of Harness Racing for Pacers consists of the following horse races: Cane Pace Messenger Stakes Little Brown Jug The traditional order of the races was Cane Pace, Little Brown Jug, and Messenger. ...

Trained and driven by Frank Ervin in his 1964 debut season in racing, two-year-old Bret Hanover was undefeated, winning all 24 races he entered and would continue undefeated for 35 races. In his second season of racing, he was 21-for-24 and in his last year of racing at age four, he was 17-for-20 for a career total of 62 wins in 68 races. He never placed worse than third. He was voted Horse of the Year for all three years by the US Trotting Association and the US Harness Writers Association, the only pacer ever to accomplish that. Bret Hanover was only ever beaten by three horses, one of them the great Cardigan Bay, the first standardbred horse ever to win $1 million dollars.The others were ADIOS VIC AND TRUE DUANE. Cardigan Bay (1956–1988) was a bay pacing gelding by Hal Tryax out of Colwyn Bay by Josedale Dictator. ...

Bret Hanover was retired as the fastest and richest standardbred. He went to stud at Castleton Farm in Lexington, Kentucky where he immediately became one of the most in-demand breeding stallions in harness racing history. Among his many successful offspring were Little Brown Jug winners Melvin's Woe and Strike Out. He is remembered as one of the best broodmare sires of the century. Castleton Lyons near Lexington, Kentucky is an American horse racing stable and breeding business best known by the name Castleton Farm. ... Nickname: Athens of the West Horse Capital of the World Location in the Commonwealth of Kentucky Coordinates: Country United States State Kentucky Counties Fayette Mayor Jim Newberry (R)(Mayor-Elect) Area    - City 285. ... The Little Brown Jug is a harness race for three-year-old pacing standardbreds hosted by the Delaware County Agricultural Society since 1946 at the County Fairgrounds in Delaware, Ohio. ... In baseball, a strikeout or strike out (denoted by K or SO) occurs when the batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. ...

After his death on November 21, 1992 Bret Hanover was buried at Lexington's Kentucky Horse Park, and the statue that had been erected for him at Castleton Farm today stands at his gravesite. November 21 is the 325th day of the year (326th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... The Kentucky Horse Park is a working horse farm and an educational theme park located in a rural area of Lexington, Kentucky in the United States. ...

Numerous stories have been written about the horse including the book "Big Bum, The Story of Bret Hanover".

For links to other harness horse information and biographies, see also:

• Harness racing