Harness Tracks of America, Inc.

Tucson, AZ- Hanover Shoe Farms of Hanover, Pennsylvania, one of harness racing’s premier and storied breeding farms, has been named the 2013 winner of Harness Tracks of America’s Stanley F. Bergstein Messenger Award, the highest honor bestowed by the association of major racing organizations in the United States and Canada. 

In announcing the award, HTA Executive Vice President Paul Estok said, “Hanover Shoe Farms is being recognized for remaining unwavering in promoting harness racing in countless ways and continuing Lawrence Sheppard’s love of and dedication to improving the breed.” 

The annual award is named for the English thoroughbred imported to America in 1788 and foundation sire of the Standardbred horse, and for the late industry titan Stan Bergstein, who spent 50 years as executive vice president of HTA.  The award recognizes exceptionally meritorious contributions to the sport of harness racing and few organizations fit that requirement like Hanover Shoe Farms. In addition to being the cradle of a staggering number of champion horses, those involved with the operation since the founding of the Standardbred breeding farm and nursery have worked to better the harness racing industry both privately and publicly — recruiting owners, working with legislators, serving on the boards of practically every important racing industry group and providing support for charitable endeavors such as the HTA/Hanover Shoe Farms Caretaker of the Year Award. 

HTA President Paul Fontaine, who represents Plainridge Racecourse in Massachusetts and is himself a breeder and owner of harness horses, said of this year’s Bergstein Messenger winner, “Recognizing Hanover Shoe Farms is truly a pleasure. The name itself carries with it a history of innovation, foresight, integrity and excellence promoted by individuals with names like Sheppard, Simpson, Spears, Williams and Brown. Hanover Shoe Farms is harness racing, and as such, is a most deserving winner of this prestigious award.” 

The Bergstein Messenger Award will be presented to representatives of Hanover Shoe Farms as one of the highlights of 2013 Harness Racing Congress during the U.S. Harness Writers Association Dan Patch Awards Dinner at the Westin Beach Resort & Spa in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Sunday, March 3^rd.

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Dave Briggs, who since 1995 has been the editor of and writer for The Canadian Sportsman, Canada’s oldest magazine, has won Harness Tracks of America’s Dan Patch Award for exceptional media, publicity and public relations contributions to the sport of harness racing.

For the second year in a row, George Brennan, the 45-year-old Monticello, New York, native is Harness Tracks of America’s Driver of the Year, the formidable achievement that remains the most difficult award in the sport of harness racing to win.

The evidence of the accomplishment is clear in the fact that of the 3,438 drivers who competed for purses in North America in 2012, only six were able to finish in the top 10 in Money Won, Races Won and Universal Driver Rating System (UDRS) in-the-money percentage.

Under the HTA formula, points are awarded on the basis of 25 for first down to one for 25^th in the standings in Money Won, Races Won, and UDRS, with a 25-point bonus for finishing in the top 25 in all three categories.

Brennan’s 2012 Driver of the Year trophy will be presented at the Harness Racing Congress as part of the United States Harness Writer’s 2013 Dan Patch Awards Dinner on Sunday, March 3, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.