Colt’s Neck, NJ --- Standardbred trainer, driver, and owner Brian Pinske, 38, of Downers Grove, Ill. died in his hotel room in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.  It was discovered this morning.  Pinske was in Harrisburg to attend the Standardbred Horse Sale.  The time and cause of death was not immediately known.  An autopsy will be performed by the Dauphin County (Pennsylvania) Coroner.

Pinske was a native of Glencoe, Minnesota and graduated from Mankato State University.  His father and grandfather both raced Standardbreds and Pinske got his first win at age 16 at a county fair with the horse Gopher Broke.

His green and gold silks were a familiar scene at tracks in Illinois and throughout the United States, as Pinske Stable horses have won a collective $2,628,047 and 127 races in 2002, a record for the stable.  Horses trained by Pinske have won 830 races and $13,651,942 since 1991.  As a driver, Pinske won 561 races in his career and banked $6,402,407 in purses.

Among his best horses are the 2-year-old pacing colt Yankee Cruiser with nine wins and $342,994 this year and Partywiththebigdog, a veteran campaigner with 28 wins and $508,478 in career earnings.  Hawaiian Cowboy, who was co-owned and trained by Pinske, was among the top 3-year-old pacing colts of 2001, with $515,238 and five wins.