In Their Footsteps: Colin Brennan

From the pastures of Ireland to the bluegrass of Kentucky, three generations of trainers have borne the surname Brennan. The late Liam Brennan was a leading Irish amateur jockey and steeplechase trainer and his sons are horsemen Ian and Niall Brennan–the latter's eponymous stable is one of America's leading juvenile consignors. Niall has carried on the tradition with his eldest son Colin, who is somewhat of a throwback, with a relentless work ethic and a soft lilt to his voice reminiscent of his father's native County Kildare. Colin currently works as an assistant trainer for Niall Brennan Stables.

Patriarch Liam passed away last year at the age of 83, but Niall taught 27-year-old Colin lessons he learned from his own father, like, “You always keep your eyes and ears open and your mouth shut.”

Colin has taken that to heart, saying, “You don't ever need to tell someone what you know. You just show them.”

This process started at a young age, as Liam would travel from Ireland to Ocala, Florida, to visit for a month each year.

“We would walk through the fields together and stand at the track together,” Colin reminisced, an evident fondness in his voice.

Liam would instruct his grandson in equine conformation and movement, teaching him to look beyond its current appearance to its potential.

“He never failed. He could always pick out a good horse, and I'm fortunate that we did get to spend time together before his passing,” Colin said.

Both Colin and his sister Kristen–now a Calumet Farm employee, whom her brother described as having “a heart the size of Texas, and it's filled with horses”–take after their equestrian parents. Colin put in long hours before and after school in the barns. He spent eight seasons foaling and caring for hundreds of mares alongside his mother, horsewoman Jolane Weeks.

At age 18, he started spending his summers at Saratoga, first as a hotwalker, then as a foreman and trainer's assistant for Darley; he later became a foreman for trainer Linda Rice.

At one OBS March sale, Colin met a student in Darley's Flying Start program. To a young man looking to build his resume, Colin said, “It was one of those things, that no matter what, that was the light at the end of the tunnel for me.”

With this in mind as his ultimate goal, Colin fleshed out his resume, which included degrees in equine business management and equine anatomy and physiology from the College of Central Florida in 2012. Just a few months after graduation, he traveled to Ireland for the first leg of Flying Start.

The caliber of horsemen, animals, and facilities he experienced and met during Flying Start helped shape Colin as a horseman.

“You wouldn't be able to go to a Sheikh's suite in Meydan if you were trying to do a similar course on your own,” he recalled.

Studying different animals all over the world taught him the effects of nature versus nurture on the development of a young Thoroughbred, while working alongside Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum's employees exposed him to true blue-bloods.

“It was one of those shed rows that as you walk through that you have to pinch yourself,” he gushed. “When they say they're trying to have the world's best of everything, they really meant it, and they do.”

Before he even finished the two-year program in 2014, Colin had three potential job offers, but he chose to join Barbara Banke's Stonestreet Stables as a traveling assistant trainer. Two to three days a week, he boarded a plane to examine Stonestreet's horses all over the country, speaking to and working with top trainers. These networking opportunities were unparalleled.

“They really taught us how to engage with people, how to leave a good impression, how to gain the most out of an experience and the most out of a meeting,” he said.

Last summer, Colin was on the verge of a big step–deciding to go out on his own as a trainer–when his father gave him a call, saying their farm manager was moving on. And with that, the Prodigal Son returned to Brennan Stables.

Colin jumped at the chance, saying, “It's been my lifelong goal to come back and work with him and ideally take over the reins one day, and so this was the dream job, I think.”

Now an experienced horseman in his own right, he works side-by-side with Niall on a more equal level than he did years ago, but he's still always learning.

“If I could be half the horseman that he is, I would be very happy,” Colin said.

Working with family has its challenges, but Colin appreciates those moments.

“I think, all in all, I see, more so now, that there are times he takes out of his incredibly busy day and he'll just stop to pass things on to me,” he noted, whether they're in the barn or on the track.

“I understand that I still have a long way to go as far as working into his operation,” Colin said. “There is something about it that brings you together, and I wouldn't have it any other way.”

In Their Footsteps is an ongoing TDN series on young people who have followed their parents into the business.