Widely regarded as the "father of Western Australian harness racing" and the "finest administrator in Australian Standardbred history" James Brennan became the first President of the WA Trotting Association in 1910.
A highly successful businessman, Brennan initially imported a large numbers of horses to WA which he then leased out for others to race at the WACA Ground.
The vast majority of the horses he brought to the State were mares and he thereby laid the foundations for the Western Australian breeding industry.
Brennan then lobbied for Government legislation and introduced rules that would guarantee the prosperity and longevity of the sport.
Brennan's dream was to provide Perth with the best harness track in the world and he was a guarantor for the loans required to purchase the swampy land and to build the track now known as Gloucester Park.
His dream came to fruition in 1929 when the track opened under the name of Brennan Park. One of the great promoters of harness racing, the concept of an annual Championship featuring the very best horses in Australasia was Brennan's and the WATA staged the inaugural Australasian Trotting Championship in 1925.
The concept of the Inter Dominion was born