Elmer Fannin A Man with a Plan

ElmEr
Fannin
a man with a Plan
Spurred on by the success of trotter Kadealia and pacer
mr wiggles, homebuilder Elmer Fannin added 24 yearlings
to his holdings this fall, all in the pursuit of fun. By Kimberly a. rinker
• Photos by Karl richeson Photography
Elmer Fannin has always been a
man with a plan.
This unassuming, 64 year-old long
time Standardbred owner has done
nothing less than quietly create a harness racing empire in the state of
Delaware. Besides establishing a top stable of youngsters with longtime friend
and conditioner George Teague, Fannin
owns a first class harness racing training
facility and is one of the leading real
estate builders headquartered in
America’s “First State.”
Born and raised in Phelps, Kentucky,
a small coal-mining town located in the
far eastern part of the Bluegrass State,
Elmer spent his youth exploring the hillsides of his hometown along with seven
brothers and one sister.
“We made the best of growing up
in a difficult era,” Elmer recalled. “As
youngsters, we worked at roadside fruit
stands selling watermelon and in our
spare time, we’d roam through the
mountains looking for paw paw trees.
Other times, we’d watch the little ponies
which used to pull the coal out of the
mines, and that’s where I first gained a
lot of respect for horses and what they
could do.”
In 1963 the Fannin family moved to
Grundy, Virginia and Elmer enlisted in
the army at age 17, where he served as a
buck sergeant with the First Air Cavalry
Division in Vietnam for one year.
When he returned home Elmer was
stationed in New Jersey where he met
his future wife Mary Ann. The couple
ELMER FANNIN: A MAN WITH A PLAN
"Those early days in the business
were not the most profitable, but
they surely were the most memorable
as far as the family goes, and having
horses taught the boys responsibility
at an early age.”
eventually married and settled in Delaware
where they raised three sons, Michael, 42;
Brent, 39; and Todd, 36, and started a family business, Country Life Homes, that has
since flourished and thrived.
“When they were young, our boys
were attracted to the horses and started
racing harness ponies at the Delaware
pony tracks on the weekends,” Elmer
remembered. “They evolved from racing
ponies to getting involved with the
Standardbreds at the claming levels.
We’d ship to Brandywine, Dover Downs,
Liberty Bell and Ocean City to race.
“There were a lot of little pony
tracks around then and we’d go there as
a family,” Elmer noted. “It’s a shame we
don’t have those anymore. There was a
little track behind the Moose Lodge at
Harrington where they used to race
ponies.
“We started claming Standardbreds
when the boys were in high school,” he
continued. “Our first racehorse was a
gelding named Real Lumber which we
owned with our friend Raymond
DeManche in 1974. We raced him at
Dover and Harrington. He was a little
December 2009 • The Harness Edge
claimer who won 25 races and earned
$62,000 for us with a six-year-old record
of 1:58.2.
“Another fun gelding we owned was
Milano (p,1:57.2f $116,353) who raced at
Rosecroft on the weekends. After he’d
race, the boys would stop at McDonalds
and get something to eat and they would
buy a burger for the horse, who would
eat the entire burger but inevitably spit
out the pickle on every occasion. Those
early days in the business were not the
most profitable, but they surely were the
most memorable as far as the family goes,
and having horses taught the boys
responsibility at an early age.”
When his sons went off to college
and their involvement in racing waned,
Elmer continued his journey down the
Standardbred ownership path, sandwiching in times at the racetrack between his
various homebuilding duties.
“It wasn’t always easy, and 50 years
of hard work is tough to put into
words,” Elmer said. “Sometimes I worked
two jobs and many times that was seven
days a week. Mary Ann also worked full
time as a respiratory therapist when the
boys were growing up and through their
college days.”
It was during those early years that
Elmer often crossed paths with trainer
George Teague, Jr.
“I’ve met many wonderful people in
the horse business and have had enough
success to keep me interested, mostly
from the enjoyment of racing and friendships I’ve made,” Elmer explained.
“George (Teague, Jr.), who I refer to as
my ‘fourth son,’ was someone whose
company I always enjoyed and shared
funny stories with over the years. George
likes a good funny horse story and every
time I needed to be bailed out of a situation with a horse or trainer, George was
always there for me.”
Elmer and George didn’t partner up,
however, until the fall of 2005.
“We were standing around the ring
at Harrisburg after I had purchased some
raceway horses and I asked George if I
could partner up with him on a horse
named The Iceman Came, which I liked,”
Elmer recalled.
“The Iceman Came later passed
away after making a little over $80,000,
Holiday Season
Photo by New Image Media
Our Best Wishes for the
ALL SPEED HANOVER
A sincere thank you is extended to our many clients
for your wonderful support which contributed greatly
to another successful year for the stable.
Wishing everyone a happy, healthy
and prosperous New Year!
NOEL DALEY STABLE
but later I brought Kadealia down for
him to train and he won the Breeders
Crown with her.”
Elmer had spotted Kadealia as a
yearling at the Standardbred Horse Sale
at Harrisburg, PA in the fall of 2006 and
liked what he saw.
“She was a clean legged filly with a
long barrel and particularly long legs,”
Elmer offered. “In addition, she was very
well mannered and for $19,000, I felt it
was a great opportunity to have a trotter
in my stable. At the time, my trainer was
George Dennis and he broke Kadealia and
raced her as a two-year-old. But it was in
her sophomore year that she really began
improving under George’s management.”
In 2008, Kadealia would earn
$532,181 under Teague’s watchful eye.
When the filly captured her final event
of her sophomore season, the $500,000
Breeders Crown Three-Year-Old Filly Trot
at The Meadowlands on November 29,
Elmer almost didn’t make it to the track
in time. Stuck in traffic, he barely made it
to the Big M clubhouse before the
daughter of Kadabra - New Ideal left the
gate at odds of 75-1.
“I told George ‘I’ll just keep my coat
on because we will be in the winner’s
circle soon,’” Elmer laughed. “We both
laughed at the time, but that statement
turned out to be true!”
Prior to her Crown triumph,
Kadealia had won the $300,000 Ontario
Sires Stakes Super Final on a miserable
Photo by New Image Media
ELMER FANNIN: A MAN WITH A PLAN
The Kadabra mare Kadealia, who Fannin purchased for $19,000, went on to win
the Ontario Sires Stakes Super final and the Breeders Crown and has just over
$600,000 in life earnings.
night at Woodbine, paying over $125 for
a two dollar win ticket.
In total Kadealia has won $603,052
for Elmer to date.
“You couldn’t ask for a more perfect
owner,” Teague said. “Elmer’s a very easy
person to get along with and he doesn’t
ask why or what happened when a horse
doesn’t do well; he’s just not the kind of
guy who ever gets upset. I think I’m more
upset if a horse doesn’t race well than he
is. We were friends for many years
before we partnered up on the horses,
and I just can’t say enough good about
Elmer.”
When Elmer decided to forgo his
raceway stock to concentrate on stakeseligible youngsters, he wanted George
to take command of his yearlings.
“Initially, it was a tough decision to
move from overnight racing to the
stakes,” Elmer admitted. “Basically, I was
Season’s Greetings
New Image Media
To my owners and staff I wish
to offer my appreciation for
your support this past year.
May 2010 bring health and
happiness to all.
TONY O’SULLIVAN
STABLE
December 2009 • The Harness Edge
CODE WORD
p,2,1:51.3s-'09 ($201,090)
OSS Super Final Winner
Merry
Christmas!
To Helen Back
p,3,1:49.4s ($1,149,905)
A special thank you is extended to
John Pentland, Lyle MacArthur, Jim
McGugan, Bill Hutchison and their
staff for a wonderful 2009 season.
Best wishes to everyone in
racing in 2010.
Mike & Anne
SHUNOCK
MERRY CHRISTMAS
To All
I WONT DANCE
3,1:54.3s ($393,442)
OSS SUPER FINAL WINNER
From Asa Farms, Per Henriksen and Ann Karin Larsen
The Harness Edge • December 2009
starting over with a new venture with
nothing racing and a new training
scheme, but I’ve enjoyed quite a bit of
success with George’s training of the
young horses these last few years.”
Elmer and George both take an
equal share when it comes to picking out
young horses at the fall sales.
“When we go to the sales, George
will take a list of horses that I have complied with my sons, based on the bloodlines and past performances,” Elmer
explained. “George will then take his
knowledge on the soundness, conformation and what he knows of the horses’
families and we’ll head to the auction.
We’ll end up with a few yearlings and it’s
George’s job to prove them out as a
trainer. It’s my job to go to the races,
have dinner and get my picture taken in
the winner’s circle.”
Elmer said his tough raceway horse
Make A Success, p,1:50.3f ($623,381)
gave him many happy moments, but his
biggest thrills have come more recently
with the likes of Mr Wiggles (p,3,1:49.1f
$1,064,989), Chasin Racin (p,3,1:51f
Photo by New Image Media
ELMER FANNIN: A MAN WITH A PLAN
The Badlands Hanover colt Mr Wiggles took in just over $1 million during his
sophomore season in 2009 for Fannin and Teague.
$522,249) and Johnny Z (p,3,1:51.1f
$262,737). Collectively, these three have
earned $1,684,101 for Elmer this season.
“Johnny Z was named Pocono’s
Horse of the Year based on his ability and
his victories there in the Pennsylvania
Sire Stakes,” Elmer said. “But my biggest
thrill this year had to be when Mr
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December 2009 • The Harness Edge
Holiday Season
Photos by New Image Media
Our Best Wishes for the
Mr Wiggles
p,2,1:53.3f, 3,1:49.1f-’09 ($1,030,725)
$500,000 Hoosier Cup Champion
Fancy Filly
p,2,1:51.1f-’09 ($840,926)
$500,000 Three Diamonds Winner &
$628,178 Breeders Crown Champion
A sincere thank you is extended to our clients
and staff for a truly wonderful season of racing.
Best of racing in 2010.
George & Brenda
Teague Stable
ELMER FANNIN: A MAN WITH A PLAN
Wiggles won the $100,000 Delaware Final at Dover. For weeks
and weeks he had been hanging on a left line and George had
been messing with his bridle, working on changing things to
get him to travel straight.
“One day, after George changed a few more things around
with him, he was just suddenly straight. We always knew he had
a lot of speed, but that one little thing changed him into traveling straight and he was a racehorse from then on.”
Elmer hasn’t been shy about delving into other aspects of
the harness racing industry either. A little more than a decade
ago he combined his business skills with his racing passion by
purchasing a local training center. Located only 15 minutes
from Dover in Cheswold, Elmer’s Brookside Farms is a 200 stall
facility that offers two indoor equine pools, an equicizer, a
half-mile stone dust track and numerous outdoor paddocks. It
is managed by Elmer’s wife, Mary Ann.
“When it came up for sale, I bought it and refurbished it,”
Elmer stated. “It’s very convenient as it’s close to Dover and we
have a lot of local horsemen who are based there. Because our
family’s homebuilding business has been so successful, we’ve
been able to stay involved in the horse racing industry on many
levels over the years and the training center is just another
aspect that has worked well from a business standpoint.”
Besides Brookside Farms, Elmer’s family business has
expanded to include condominiums, townhouses and single
family detached homes, morphing Country Life Homes into
Delaware’s leading family-owned homebuilding corporation.
So where does all this leave Elmer Fannin today? It seems
he is still a man with a plan and one who is forever looking to
improve the sport he loves so much.
“One issue we face today in horse racing is involving
young people and families in our sport. Financial support is
one arm of horse racing but having a crowd cheering and
sharing the thrill of victory is what will drive the sport to
success,” he stressed. “Even though casinos have brought
money to our sport with better purses, I feel the tracks have
focused less on the horses and in attracting families to the
races.
“My family looks forward to the many friends that gather
on Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons to see trotters and
pacers compete on all levels,” Elmer continued. “Now I see
more emphasis placed on simulcasting, wagering, and gambling and less on making sure the sport grows and sustains the
many livelihoods in the sport. We need fans and families to
come to the track and enjoy what the horses and horse racing
has to offer. If we lose that, then we lose the reason why we
needed the casinos.”
Elmer’s involvement and commitment to racing hasn’t
gone unnoticed by his peers either.
“Elmer is a rarity in this sport because you never hear him
say a bad word about anyone,” Teague, Jr. said affectionately.
“When you’re around an owner like Elmer who loves the
horses so much, it’s a unique situation. He’s the kind of guy that
racing desperately needs in this day and age. And besides that,
Holiday
Greetings
Congratulations to everyone who
made 2009 another successful year
of racing in Atlantic Canada.
P.O. Box 128
5 Gerald McCarville Dr.
Kensington, PE
C0B 1M0
(902) 836-5500
December 2009 • The Harness Edge
Merry Christmas
Gail MacDonald & Ronota Baglole
Track Photographers at Charlottetown Driving Park
Royal Becquet
p,1:51s ($350,870)
Merry Christmas
and a Happy New Year
Joyeux Noël et bonne année
the
Allard
Brothers
Simon & Rene
Photos by New Image Media
ELMER FANNIN: A MAN WITH A PLAN
he’s a fun person to be around and is always trying to enhance
the sport in any way he can.”
“I can’t say enough good things about Elmer Fannin,” said
Judy Davis-Wilson, executive director of the Delaware
Standardbred Breeders Fund. “Besides the investment he made
with Brookside training center and all of his racehorses, Elmer
has dedicated himself to enhancing harness racing in the state.
Our sport could definitely use a few more people like him.”
“The sport is too much about the gambling and not about
the horses anymore,” Elmer stated. “The people are so
detached from the horses nowadays and in many cases can’t
even get close to them at the racetracks because of the way the
tracks are built. It’s so sad for the younger generation that they
really aren’t able to experience racing the way we used to 20
and 30 years ago. Instead of racing 15 races a night for $5,000
and $10,000 claimers we should race ten races and take the rest
of that money and apply it to making the sport more friendly
and accessible to the public.
“Within three and a half hours of Delaware we have 40
million people, 25 per cent of the population of the United
States live in this area,” he stressed. “So you have the potential
to draw thousands of people to the tracks. That’s a lot of families who could get into harness racing.”
Outside of the horse industry, Elmer continues to enjoy the
family business that he has slowly turned over to his three sons.
“My wife and I get great satisfaction from having our three
sons all complete college and join our company,” he noted. “With
their knowledge they can take the business to a level greater
than what we have been able to do on our own. It’s a wonderful
feeling to be able to send your children through college and then
work with them, sharing the education of everyday life.
“I’ve enjoyed my experience as an entrepreneur in the
construction business, providing several hundred homes to
good people throughout Sussex County, Delaware,” Elmer
acknowledged. “Being in the development of a small beachside county provides you with the added satisfaction of being
able to run into a lot of customers in stores, restaurants, at
school functions, etc. with the grandchildren.”
Never one to stand idle, Elmer continues to work on his
latest plan which he says is “my last venture before retirement;
a 200 acre medical research park set to include a hospital and
medical mall where all services will be performed in one pleasant setting, complete with coffee shops, cafes and hotels.”
As well, this fall Elmer purchased 24 yearlings during his
jaunts to the Lexington and Harrisburg sale venues, and said he
is looking forward to seeing them progress in their training
and racing endeavours in 2010.
“I don’t golf or do any other sport really,” Elmer admitted.
“In the future I’d like to have some good colts that could go on
to be top stallions and I’d like to be involved in the breeding
game, not in a big way, but modestly and stay at that level. I’ll
always be involved in the sport as I just love to have conversations about the horses.”
That sounds like a plan. 롫
Holiday Wishes
OUR ASSOCIATION
EXTENDS TO YOU
Special thanks to our staff, clients and
friends for making 2009 a wonderful year.
Holiday Greetings
WITH EVERY GOOD WISH FOR THE NEW YEAR!
NOTRE ASSOCIATION
VOUS SOUHAITE DE
Joyeuses Fêtes
AVEC TOUS NOS MEILLEURS VOEUX POUR
LA NOUVELLE ANNÉE!
National Capital Region Harness Horse Association
Visit us at www.ncrhha.ca
December 2009 • The Harness Edge
PAT, ANNA & JUSTIN MEYERS
We are proud to have offered many outstanding individuals, including the highest
priced yearling sold at any 2009 sale
Hip 99 The Queen
(Andover Hall-Bold Dreamer)
She was consigned by Peninsula Farm,
Agent for Valley High Stable and purchased for $360,000 by Jeffrey Snyder.
A special note of appreciation goes to
Carter Duer and the Peninsula Farm staff
for another excellent job of prepping the
yearlings, and raising them as babies,
and to David Meirs and family of
Concord Stud Farm for foaling them.
Thanks to all those who took the time to
inspect and bid on our yearlings at
Harrisburg. We wish the best of luck to all
those fortunate enough to take them home.
From
–Bill Weaver–