by Charlene Sharpe, USTA Web Newsroom Senior Correspondent

Charlene Sharpe

Dover, DE — You can’t beat class.

At least that’s what Delaware trainer Arthur Brewer says. And with horses like Make It Brief, who’s going to argue?

Veteran pacer Make It Brief kicked off his 14-year-old season this year with back-to-back wins at Dover Downs. The bay son of Camluck-Lingerie now boasts lifetime earnings of $871,629.

“He’s classy,” caretaker Amanda Payson, Brewer’s niece, said. “He’s tough. He’s made a boatload of money.”

Charlene Sharpe photo

The classy veteran Make It Brief has 46 career wins and lifetime earnings of $871,629.

Brewer, who trains a stable of about a dozen horses in Delaware, bought Make It Brief in 2011. Long a fan of older, seasoned campaigners, Brewer was attracted to the stallion by his breeding. His mark of 1:49.1 and the fact that he made every season a winning one — with the exception of the three years he took off to stand at stud — probably didn’t hurt either.

Brewer was looking for a horse that would be competitive in the Mid-Atlantic area and the Ontario-bred pacer fit the bill. He’s been a regular in the First State’s claiming ranks ever since.

Fluctuating between the $7,500 and $20,000 claiming ranks, Make It Brief has earned more than $100,000 for Brewer. In 2012, he went to the gate 35 times, ending the year with seven wins, six seconds and three thirds. He came back just as strong in 2013, again winning seven races and earning a seasonal mark of 1:52.

“He’s always pretty sharp,” Payson said. “He’s had some pretty amazing wins.”

She says Make It Brief has a pretty basic training regimen of turnout and jogging. Even though he is a stallion, with 40 foals to his credit, Payson says you wouldn’t know it until he gets to the track.

“He’s real quiet at home,” she said, “but he comes in the paddock and spins around a bit.”

Payson, who calls herself Make It Brief’s biggest fan, said a string of second place finishes — five in a row, eight from his last nine starts in 2013 — made his first win of 2014 all the more exciting.

Make It Brief left from post five for regular driver George Dennis to get off in the two hole in a field of Delaware owned $7,500 claimers. He took his time until the stretch, when he eased out and went right by Zampano, crossing the wire first in 1:55.3.

Two weeks later he made it to the winner’s circle again, this time hanging on by a neck after cutting the mile to win in 1:56.

From 199 lifetime starts, Make It Brief has won 46 races.

Payson’s hoping he’ll only add to that total in his final year of racing. And will he still be racing come December?

“Of course,” she said. “He doesn’t know how to quit.”