In this article, an event-triggered guaranteed cost optimal tracking control problem is investigated for a class of uncertain nonlinear system with partial loss of actuator effectiveness faults. To begin with, an augmented system consisted of error system and reference system is constructed to simplify the tracking controller design. Then, in order to consider both actuator faults and system uncertainties in optimal tracking control, an improved discounted cost function is developed. Furthermore, a single critic neural network adaptive dynamic programming algorithm is utilized to implement the event-based approximate optimal controller design. Different from static event-triggered mechanism, the dynamic event-triggered mechanism proposed in this article with an internal dynamic signal can further improve execution efficiency. A Lyapunov-based stability analysis is given to demonstrate the uniformly ultimately bounded stability of the closed-loop system. Finally, two typical nonlinear simulations are presented to verify the developed control method.