Stephanie Black, a caretaker in the Alvin Miller stable that races at Hoosier Park and Indiana Downs in Indiana, has been named Caretaker of the Year by Harness Tracks of America and Hanover Shoe Farms, co-sponsors of the annual competition.

Ms. Black grew up in harness racing, and handles the duties of 10 people in a stable that maintains some 60 to 70 horses a year. She participates in the breaking of yearlings and the conditioning process, and the paddocking of the horses on race night. In her letter of nomination of Ms. Black, Tammy Knox wrote, "Stephanie is not in a position to be a high profile groom, but she is the type of groom that this business is built around -- a dedicated, horse-loving professional." Mrs. Knox wrote that "Stephanie’s horses always look perfect...and it is nothing for her and Alvin to race five or six horses a night with just the two of them taking care of all the work necessary to get the horses raced.