Peter grew up in Ascot Vale and commenced his training career as a 16-year-old with one horse at the Royal Melbourne Showgrounds.
He was a plumber and after 20 years in that trade, retired and moved to Great Western where he and his wife Barbara had purchased a large “bush block”.
From that property Peter Manning revolutionised the thinking on how to train standardbred horses, especially youngsters.
He built a revolutionary training track and utilised multi-heat interval training, which enabled him to have his young horses extremely fit.
Between 1996 and 2003 his team won four Australian 2YO of the Year titles.
His star juveniles included 1996 Australian 2YO Pacer of the Year Sheza Mona (21 2YO wins), 1999 Australian 2YO Pacer of the Year Pelicanrama (18 2YO wins), 2003 Australian Pacer of the Year Kathryn Dancer and Greek Gambit who won 18 2YO races.
Initially a master trainer of juveniles, he then expanded to train a large team and was the leading Australian trainer in 2004/5.
Manning is a four-time winner of the Victorian Trainers’ Premiership, has three Metropolitan Trainers’ Premierships to his name, won two Vin Knight Medals and in 1999/2000 set an Australasian record for most winners trained in a season.
In 2007 he was awarded a Gordon Rothacker Medal.
Manning created headlines worldwide in 1997 when he trained the trotter Knight Pistol, who went from bush battler to superstar, winning among significant races the Group 1 Harley Davidson Trot in Norway.
His 2021 season saw him capture the Redwood 2YO Classic and Breeders Crown 2YO Colts and Geldings Trot with Plymouth Chubb while recording 11 straight wins.
Manning’s training career statistics at HRA to December 2021 show 2714 winners including 18 Group 1 wins, with prizemoney of $20,039,162.
His driving career saw him win 263 races with one Group win and prizemoney of $1,690,612.
Manning and his wife Barbara have three daughters, who have all trained and driven successfully, including world record setting driver and now leading trainer and VHRHoF member Kerryn.
Watch: Peter Manning accepts his Hall of Fame placement
Watch: Knight Pistol in the Harley Davidson Trot at Norway
