Harness Racing Museum's 2010 Hall of Fame Day, Sunday, July 4

It's time to honor, congratulate, recognize and remember those who have made significant contributions to the world of harness racing. This year, the harness racing community will honor the following inductees:

THE LIVING HALL OF FAME:
Hal Jones
Dave Palone
Bunny Lake
Varenne

IMMORTALS HALL OF FAME:
Alden Goldsmith
Richard Stone Reeves
Dr. Harry Zweig
Three Diamonds

COMMUNICATORS' CORNER:
Murray Brown
Jim Moran

We will also recognize 2010 Pinnacle Award Honoree and creator of the Hall of Fame figurines, sculptor/artist Bev Lopez, and the 2010 Harness Racing Museum Amateur Driving Champion Todd Whitney will receive the Museum's gratitude for providing the most drivers' fees to the institution this year.

The Hall of Fame inductions will have their bucholic flavor, taking place on the museum lawn as they have for more than half a century. Cocktails will launch the proceedings at 5:30 pm in the William Haughton Memorial Hall followed by dinner. Induction ceremonies commence at 6:30 pm. Tickets are $100 each. Call Kim Green at 845-294-6330 for reservations and more information.

Meet the 2010 Hall of Fame Inductees:

Hal S. Jones has devoted a lifetime to the business of breeding trottng and pacing horses. In the early 1960s, he pioneered the use of artificial insemination when breeding horses. His Cameo Hills Farms has the distinction of having produced 2008 Hambletonian winner Deweycheatumnhowe, 3,1:50.4 ($3,155,178).

Dave Palone is now the only driver in history to have won the Harness Tracks of America's Driver of the Year award six times. His 13,655 wins place him third all-time in North America. To date, Palone has earned over $82 million in purses, while garnering, since 1989, an ongoing streak of 21 Meadows' consecutive dash titles.

Bunny Lake (nominated as racehorse), p:2,1:54; 3,1:51s; 4,1:49.4; 5,1:50.3s, 6,1:49s ($2,843,476) Bay Mare, 1998 (Precious Bunny - Lake Nona - Abercrombie)

Bunny Lake earned more than $2.8 million during her racing career, retiring the second-richest pacing mare of all time. Highlights of her career include being named the 2001 Horse of the Year by the US Harness Writers' Association and winning 19 of 21 starts (18 in a row), never finishing worse than second in that year. In 2002 Bunny Lake $400,049 that year as well as lowering her record to 1:49.4.

Varenne (nominated as racehorse) 6,1:51.1; 7, 1:51.3f ($5,636,255) Bay Horse, 1995 (Waikiki Beach - Ialmaz - Zebu)

Varenne, a paternal grandson of 2003 Hall of Famer Speedy Somali, is the richest trotter of all tiem and the fastest all-age and aged trotter on a five-eights mile track (1:51.3). in 2001, He became the first European horse to win a Breeders Crown and even set a world record of 1:51.1 in the process. He also stands as the first foreign trotter to be elected France's Horse of the Year and took the USTA's Trotting Horse of the Year title.

2010 Immortal Inductee Alden Goldsmith (1820-1886) was the proprietor of Walnut Grove Farm and best known for his development of the famous Immortal Volunteer and Immortal Goldsmith Maid. Goldsmith also took an active roll in the early administration of the sport of harness racing, serving as a prominent figure within the Turf Congress and the National Association of Trotting Hourse Breeders and assisting with the organization of The National Trotting Association.

2010 Immortal Inductee Richard Stone Reeves (1919-2005), was described by The New York Times as "one of the premier eequine artists in the world." Not afraid to leave his studio, Reeves regularly traveled to tracks and training facilities to study his four-legged subjects and talk to their owners, trainers and drivers, to better understand their horses' personalities. The result was a lifetime of stunning portraits that magnificently captured the character and individuality of each equine subject.

2010 Immortal Inductee Dr. Harry M. Zweig (1914-1977) Dr. Harry Zweig was the founder of Middlebrook Farm in Nassau, NY, breeding and raising Standardbreds eligible to compete in New York-sired racing events. In 1965 he was an instrumental figure in the passing of NY State's Laverne Law, which tapped in the the state's... gambling tax revenues to bring money back into the Standardbred industry and provided the foundation for the first state-bred racing program, the New York Sire Stakes.

2010 Immortal Inductee Three Diamonds p.3,1:53.1 ($735,759) (1979-1995) Three Diamonds took victories in nine of her 10 freshman year starts and in her sophmore year too sixteen wins out of twenty-one starts, fifteen of which were under 1:58. Her lifetime earnings were $735,759 and was named three-year-old Pacing Filly of the Year. At her retirement she held or shared world records on all three size tracks for three-year-old filly pacers, as well as having matched Niatross' all-age two-heat record of 3:47.3.

Harness Racing Hall of Fame Communicators' Corner 2010 Inductee M. Murray Brown - Murray Brown has been the public relations director for Hanover Shoe Farms in Pennsylvania since 1967. Since 1972 he has also served as vice-president and general manager of the Standardbred Horse Sales Company, operators of the continent's largest yearling sale in Harrisburg, PA Through the mid-1990s, Brown wrote all the pedigrees for the company's sales catalog, famously known as "The Black Book." He is also regarded as one of North America's leading experts on the subject of Standardbred breeding. The Canadian Racing Hall of Fame honored its "native son" with induction into its ranks in 2003.

Harness Racing Hall of Fame Communicators' Corner 2010 Inductee Jim Moran Jim Moran is Vernon Downs announcer, a position held since 1965. He became the track's publicity director in 1975 and was elected to the Board of Directors of Vernon Down's parents company, Mid-State Raceway, Inc. in 1986, serving until March 2002. He also became the corporation's vice-president, assistant secretary and secretary. Moran is a past president and chairman of the board of the North American Harnes Publicists Association and was the group's Golden Pen Award Recipient in 1990. He is a member of the Vernon Chapter-USHWA (now the Upstate NY Chapter) since the mid-1970s and the secretary/treasurer since 1978. Moran was inducted into the Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame in 2003.

2010 Harness Racing Museum Amateur Driving Champion Todd Whitney Todd Whitney is the owner of Whitney & Sons Concrete Company and enjoys his work and racing stock, driving his Standardbreds in amateur and non-amateur events at Maine's Cumberland Fairgrounds, Scarborough Downs and Plumridge Racecourse, MA, as well as other racetracks around the country. In 2009 Whitney enjoyed the best season of his racing career with 30 wins, 32 seconds and 17 thirds in 197 starts, he was among the leaders in amateur competition. In the same year, he was named USHWA's National Amateur Driver of the Year. With 101 lifetime amateur victories under his belt, Whitney has earned the respect of his peers.

Annual Holiday Concert at the Harness Racing Museum

Mark your calendar for Thursday, December 10^th at 7:30 p.m. for the annual Holiday Concert at the Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame. This museum members’ benefit event will be held in the Museum’s William R. Haughton Memorial Hall. The Goshen High School’s Varsity Choir, Jazz Voices, and Saxophone Ensemble will return for the occasion. We are also delighted to welcome the After Hours Quartet of the Evergreen Chapter of Sweet Adelines International, who will lead our lively audience in the concert’s annual version of "The 12 Days of Christmas."

Museum member Edie Haughney, Merrill Lynch Senior Financial Advisor together with Rose & Anatoly Shevchuk of Goshen Gourmet will be providing a wonderful holiday dessert table for the enjoyment of all. Arrive early to see our holiday tree filled with horsy ornaments, tour the museum with its festive halls and stalls, and check out the new exhibits that have been installed since last year’s concert.

Admission of $3.00 per person is waived for members. Non-members who bring a toy for the Marines’ “Toys for Tots” program receive a $1.00 admission discount! As seating is limited we recommend making reservations as soon as possible by calling Joanne Young at (845) 294-6330.

A visit to the museum is never complete without a stop at the Winner’s Circle Gift Shop for the perfect holiday gift. Our gift to you is a 10% discount on purchases to shoppers and concert-goers prior to the musical program.

If you are unable to attend the concert a Marine Corps Toy Drop Box is located in the Museum’s main lobby and toys can be brought in from now until Sunday, December 20 between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. daily. The US Marine Corps Reserve "Toys for Tots" program distributes toys as Christmas gifts to needy children in the community. Please go to www.toysfortots.org for a location near you and help make a child happy this holiday season.

Accepting Employers For Equine Job Fair

Are you an employer in the horse world looking for new employees? Whether you are looking for grooms, managers and everything in-between, we encourage you to sign up for a booth at the Equine Job Fair!

The Harness Racing Museum and US Trotting Association will hold the second annual Equine Job Fair on Wednesday, April 28, 2010 from 5 to 9 pm at the Museum, 240 Main Street, Goshen, New York.

The event is free and open to anyone seeking a job in the horse world. Employers are expected to include breeding farms, racing stables and similar employers.

Participating employers can be seeking to fill current or future openings for any kind of job, “hands on” or administrative. They must be members of either the US Trotting Association or the Harness Racing Museum.

For more information or to save an employer’s spot, contact Katie Vermilyea at the Museum at 845-294-6330 or email education@harnessmuseum.com.

November Workshop - A Standardbred Smorgasbord

A Standardbred Smorgasbord

Children’s Workshop

Saturday, November 14, 2009

10:30 AM to 12:00 Noon

at the Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame

Goshen, NY – Stop by the Harness Racing Museum on Saturday, November 14, 2009 from 10:30 AM to 12 noon as we give thanks to our furry and feathered friends! Sample the delights at our Standardbred Thanksgiving table and learn what foods both horses and humans like to eat. Gobble up some fun as we create turkey centerpieces using foam and flowerpots for your Thanksgiving celebration. Keep your horse well fed with our Hungry, Hungry Horses Scavenger Hunt. Trot to the winner’s circle with a ride on the 3-D Harness Racing Simulator! The cost of the program is $5.00/child with one accompanying adult admitted free. This program is appropriate for children ages 3-11. Reservations are required; please call us at (845) 294-6330 for further information.

Racing Breeds Adoption Fair This Saturday

The Racing Breeds Adoption Fair, to be held Saturday, October 17 in Goshen, New York is just days away and the lineup of horses provides something for everyone. The adoption fair, featuring race horses, greyhounds and barn cat prospects will be held at the Harness Racing Museum and adjacent Historic Track, 240 Main Street in Goshen, from noon to 3 pm, rain or shine.

About a dozen Standardbreds and Thoroughbreds, ready for adoption, can be viewed by prospective adopters at the track. Visitors can learn more about the groups offering them for adoption at booths in the Museum. Both the Thoroughbred and Standardbred Retirement Foundations will send horses looking for a home, along with Equine Rescue Resource, located in Pine Bush, N.Y.

The horses include three seasoned trail horses, an unraced Arab, dressage prospects and horses who have been extensively handled and are ready to train to the discipline of the adopter’s choice. Two grey geldings are among the horses looking for a home, as well as two horses recovered from severe neglect and malnutrition, now healthy and ready for a second chance.

Joining the adoption fair will be greyhounds seeking a permanent home through Greyhound Rescue and Rehabilitation, of Cross River, N.Y. Since horse owners must also have a barn cat to keep rodents out of horse’s grain, the Goshen Animal Shelter will have cats in need of a job on display for potential adopters. The greyhounds and cats will be on hand to greet prospective adopters in the Museum, horses will be at adjacent Historic Track. All groups will have booths at the Museum.

Those who cannot adopt a horse, dog or cat, can find out about other ways to help the equine, canine and feline adoption groups, including volunteering, providing foster care or providing a donation.

There is no charge to attend the adoption fair. The Museum will donate a portion of the day’s gift shop proceeds to each of the groups in attendance. For more information, call 732-780-3700 or 732-616-6092.

October 2009 Children's Workshop

Trot to the Harness Racing Museum on Saturday, October 10, 2009 from 10:30 AM to 12:00 noon for some Halloween hijinks! Come in costume (if you wish) and take a guided tour through the Museum’s Haunted Stable. Then put your best hoof forward as we create some spooky sock puppets! Take part in a special Halloween Horseshoe Hunt complete with a sweet surprise. Always included is a ride on the 3-D Harness Racing Simulator!

The cost of the program is $5.00/child with one accompanying adult admitted free. This program is appropriate for children ages 3-11. Reservations are required; please call us at (845) 294-6330 for further information.

Meet the Staff

Recently, Katie Vermilyea, the Education Coordinator here at the Museum, was profiled on the College of St. Rose English Department Blog. Learn about her day-to-day responsibilities and her alma mater here.

Harness Racing Hits Newsstands!

Orange Magazine is the complimentary publication available throughout Orange County, NY that highlights the diverse people and towns that make it such a unique place to live. The October/November issue just hit our tourism information kiosk and we were very excited to see the feature article devoted to harness racing! Read about two drivers who, in the face of the tough economy, have turned to harness racing to provide them with new career opportunities. The article also features some great photographs of Goshen's Historic Track, located just behind the Museum!

Read an excerpt and explore images from the article on their website. You can pick up a copy of Orange Magazine at the Museum or tourist information kiosks around the county.

Now on Twitter!

The Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame is now on Twitter! Follow our daily operations by visiting http://twitter.com/harnessmuseum.

Also, if you haven't found us on Facebook, what are you waiting for?

"Drive to Win" Travelling Exhibit appearing in Delaware, OH

Don't forget to stop by and say hello to the Harness Racing Museum's representatives, who will be at the Delaware, OH fair during Grand Circuit Week!

Harness Racing’s Hall of Fame traveling exhibit “A Drive To Win” will be on display in the Jugette Barn throughout the Delaware, OH Grand Circuit Week (September 20-24).

The display, which has been made possible by the sponsorship of Hanover Shoe Farms, features 27 trainers and drivers which through circumstance, choice, design or fate, did not rise to stardom.

Among the 27 featured horsemen are six from the Buckeye State of Ohio: Hugh Bell (Delaware), Joe Lighthill (Deshler), Ervin Samples (Willshire), Forrest Short (Circleville), Colby Turner (Wilmington) and Lew Williams (Cadiz).

Lew Williams became the first African-American to be inducted into the Peter Haughton Hall of Immortals in 2008 at Goshen, NY. He was just sixteen when he scored his first two career victories with the gelding Dugo Silver Girl on the Ohio county fair circuit. In 1989, when he died from injuries suffered in a tractor accident while helping a neighbor, Lew had accumulated 2,023 winning drives, 19 1:55 miles and earned $8,834 million in purses. He was only 42 years old.

Williams won driving titles at The Meadowlands and Northfield Park where he was a Wall of Fame inductee in 1990. He also drove two horses in the Little Brown Jug, Whata Baron (1975) and Barr’s Robert D (1977).

Innovative and creative, Lew modernized the sport by introducing a new way to race. Lew’s strategy focussed on making moves early, which forced other drivers to make bad decisions.

Delaware native Hugh Bell was the son of a horse trainer and he won his first race at age fourteen behind Gypsy Girl in 1916 at the Delaware County Fair in Powell. At eighteen, he drove at the Ohio State Fair against such notable horsemen as Doc Parshall. In the 1950’s Bell was a much sought after catch driver, winning driving titles at Yonkers and Roosevelt Raceway. Bell had 1,684 lifetime wins and career winnings of more than $3.5 million.

Joe Lighthill was called “the best catch-driver in the sport” by Delvin Miller and “the best conditioner of young trotters in harness racing “by Frank Ervin. His career began in 1943 when he became the youngest professional driver in Ohio at age fifteen. He won his first race the following year at Ottawa, OH. After serving in the Army from 1946-48, Lighthill returned home and opened his own stable. He won with such great horses as Meadow Skipper, Countess Adios, Kerry Way, Tender Loving Care and Peter Lobell. He finished his career with 2,272 wins and $6.98 lifetime winnings.

Ervin Samples had been a farmer and truck driver early in his life until, at the age of 41, he turned to harness racing and became an expert catch driver, earning the nickname “Speedy Samples.” He also developed into an active harness horse owner and breeder. He was named top driver at Lebanon Raceway, Washington Park and Scioto Downs. He became a member of the 1,000 Win Club in 1970.

Forrest Short’s career in horses actually began during World War 1 when eh served as his captain’s mounted orderly. He later became a member of the Pickaway County Fair Board andwas a member of the fair’s speed committee for many years. He won the first race ever held at Scioto Downs’ opening night in 1959 and was one of the track’s leading percentage drivers for many years. In 1958 and 1959 he trained the well-known double-gaited world champion Steamin’ Demon. He also competed regularly at The Meadows, Buffalo Raceway and The Red Mile.

Wilmington native Colby Turner, who was born in 1880, began working with horses at an early age. Tragedy struck when he was only nine years old when he lost both arms (to the elbow) in a terrible accident involving a horse-drawn mower. In order to drive, Turner would use his teeth to wrap the reins around what remained of his arm and then hooked his whip between those lines. In the mid-1940’s, Turner was hired as a trainer-driver for Hall of Fame Immortal McKinley Kirk. Together they developed outstanding horses including world champion Amortizor

Below is the complete list of Drive To Win drivers and trainers, including the birth and death dates and their place of birth.

Angus Allen--Halifax, Nova Scotia (1916-2004)
Richard Baker--Hanover, PA (1904-1989)
Hugh Allison Bell--Delaware, OH ((1902-1975)
Edwin Bither--Maine (1851-1923)
Harry Burright--Oregon, IL (1916-1997)
Vernon Crank--Elizabeth City, NC (1931-1984)
Harold R. Dancer--Imlaystown, NJ (1912-1981)
Norman Dauplaise--Drummondville, Quebec (1940-2003)
Alfred (Bucky) Day--Danville, NH (1929-1985)
Bea Farber Erdman--Emmett, MI (1940-)
George Forshey--Ford Edward, NY (1924-1989)
Hilda Heydt--Germany (1926-)
Maxie Ervin Lee--Hoffman, NC (1930-2001)
Joe Lighthill--Deshler, OH 1928-2006)
Howard Parker--Windsor, VT (1903-1983)
George Phalen--Plaistow, NH (1922-1991)
James A. “Jimmy” Rankin--St. Catherines, Ontario (1949-1983)
Robert D. “Robbie” Rankin--St. Catherines, Ontario (1958-1990)
Ervin Samples--Willshire, OH (1909-1975)
Forrest Short--Circleville, OH (1894-1975)
Phyllis Smith Page--Gardiner, ME
Harold Snodgrass--Muncie, IN (1911-1998)
Colby Turner--Wilmington, OH (1880-1975)
Siegfried Sacher “Satch” Warner--Austria (1898-1983)
John (Tic) Wilcutts--Magnolia, DE (1919-1984)
Lew Williams--Cadiz, OH (1947-1989)
Mildred Williams--Ameliasburg, Ontario (1916-2008)

2009 Goshen Firemen's Parade

High wheel sulkies went the way of the Dodo Bird in 1892, making way for the smaller, more efficient and safer smaller-wheeled bicycle sulky. However, after Saturday’s Firemen’s Parade in downtown Goshen, New York, it appeared to onlookers that this cumbersome-looking vehicle may be making a comeback, or was it the ghost of drivers past?

Amateur driver George Casale, of the Brooklyn Cowboy Stable, driving Masters Light, a 7 year old Standardbred who had raced the previous night at Pocono Downs for the Mark Ford Stable, proudly trundled down Goshen’s Main Street, following in the hoof prints of the stars of the racetrack, the farmers and the swells of a century or more ago; George wearing the old-style driving jacket, doffing his cap and waving to onlookers and Masters Light basking in the limelight – it was better than the Winner’s Circle! They were followed by amateur driver Gerry Fielding of the Snowflake Stable, driving Up Front Todd, a never-raced but impeccably behaved 2-year-old. They were turned out in modern-style with the latest in race bikes, the quick hitch, and the safety helmet.

Completing the entourage were marshals Kelly Ford and John Capriotti of the Mark Ford Stable and banner’s identifying the Museum and the Horse Adoption Fair on October 17^th which were carried by Museum docents Jenah George and Leah Freeman. Bringing up the rear (aptly) was Hall of Fame Harry (volunteer Ryan Ulrich) who, with his docent friend and guide (because he couldn’t see where he was going) Cassie Graves, freely dispensed candies to everyone!

“Harness Racing Then & Now,” The Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame’s parade entry was a major crowd pleaser and obviously drew a nod from the parade judges who presented leader George Casale with a parade trophy.

Gerry Fielding


Cassie, one of our Museum docents, and our very own Hall of Fame Harry


The Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame


George Casale


George Casale holding the 2009 Parade Participant trophy

Racing Breeds Adoption Fair October 17, 2009

The USTA and the Harness Racing Museum and Hall of Fame will team up to present an adoption fair, featuring race horses and greyhounds, on Saturday, October 17. The event will be held at the Museum, on 240 Main Street in Goshen, N.Y., from noon to 3 p.m.

About a dozen Standardbreds and Thoroughbreds, ready for adoption, will be housed as guests of adjacent Historic Track, located behind the Museum. The horses can be viewed by prospective adopters at the track and learn more about the groups offering them for adoption at booths in the Museum. Both the Thoroughbred and Standardbred Retirement Foundations will send horses looking for a home, along with Equine Rescue Resource, located near the Museum in neighboring Pine Bush, N.Y.

Also joining the adoption fair will be a few greyhounds seeking a permanent home through Greyhound Rescue and Rehabilitation, of Cross River, N.Y. Since horse owners must also have a barn cat to keep rodents out of horse’s grain, the Goshen Animal Shelter will have cats in need of a job on display for potential adopters. The greyhounds and cats will be on hand to greet prospective adopters in the Museum, as only horses will be at Historic Track. All groups will have booths at the Museum.

Those who cannot adopt a horse, dog or cat, can find out about other ways to help the equine, canine and feline adoption groups, including volunteering, providing foster care or providing a donation.

“As part of our mission to present the best about racing, we’re happy to educate visitors about the many terrific horses and dogs off the track and looking for a new job,” said Museum President Ebby Gerry. “After Saratoga County, there are more horses in Orange County than anywhere else in New York. The Museum is in a good position to help put together people looking for a horse with the right animal for them and we’re happy to provide the venue.”

There is no charge to attend the adoption fair. The Museum will donate a portion of the day’s gift shop proceeds to each of the groups in attendance.

Traveling Exhibit Schedule

"A Drive To Win" on display at the Saratoga Harness Hall of Fame

The traveling exhibit “A Drive To Win” continues its successful journey across country. Having been enjoyed by large crowds at the Rideau Carleton Raceway in Ottawa, Canada in the spring, it traveled to the Saratoga Harness Racing Hall of Fame for the month of June. Cobleskill Fair, Cobleskill, NY welcomed the presentation for several weeks in August after which it went to the Miami County Fair, Troy, OH. It is now set to appear, for the next two weeks, at Tioga Downs and Vernon Downs in New York State. It will then journey to The Little Brown Jugette Barn at the Delaware County Fair, OH for Jug week, September 15 through 24 before The Red Mile’s Stable of Memories welcomes it from September 29 through October 9. The current final date scheduled for 2009 will find it at Scarborough Downs, Scarborough, ME where it can be seen from October 17 through October 24.

The presentation, which has been made possible by the sponsorship of Hanover Shoe Farms, Hanover, PA, and is a production of The Harness Racing Museum in Goshen, NY, is dedicated to harness racing drivers and trainers who make every race possible but through circumstance, choice, design or fate, do not rise to stardom. Because of its success, the sponsor, Hanover Shoe Farms of Hanover, PA, has provided a regrant which will allow the very popular exhibit to accept applications for engagements in 2010.

“The Story of Harness Racing by Currier & Ives” continues to delight all. One of the three available components, consisting of more than thirty original Currier & Ives lithographs, has been in residence at the Nordiska TravMuseet, Arjang, Sweden since March. It is scheduled to travel to the Stockholms Travsallskap Solvalla race track in Sweden after November. A second component is currently on exhibit at the Hoyt Institute of Fine Art, New Castle PA. That engagement concludes on October 23. This free traveling exhibit is made possible by the CTW Foundation of Wilmington DE and Robert Tucker of Stonegate Standardbred Farms, Glen Gardiner, NJ. Applications are now being accepted for 2010 locations.

The museum’s Poster Series “What Is Harness Racing,” available free to fairs nationwide, has been enjoyed by harness racing fans at Monticello Raceway, NY in May, the Afton Fair, Afton, NY for two weeks in July and the Otsego County Fair, Morris, NY in the beginning of August. It will be seen at Richwood Independent Fair, Richwood, OH from September 2 through 7. This harness racing marketing tool is also provided, free of charge by the CTW Foundation and Robert Tucker’s Stonegate Standardbred Farms. Applications to host this informative promotional product are invited.

All the exhibits are available free of charge from The Harness Racing Museum, 240 Main Street, Goshen, NY; phone: 845.294.6330 or contact library@harnessmuseum.com for host applications and facility criteria.

New Exhibit: The Richard Stone Reeves Retrospective

A portion of the new exhibit currently featured in the Carriage Room

Richard Stone Reeves (1919-2005) will be inducted as a Harness Racing Hall of Fame Immortal on Sunday, July 4, 2010. To recognize his important work chronicling significant Standardbreds of the last century, for the next twelve months, the museum has installed, in The Carriage Room, a presentation of his oil paintings and prints.

Richard Stone Reeves, described as “one of the premier equine artists in the world” by The New York Times, introduced a unique perspective to the tradition of equine portraiture in the mid-1940s. This well-known equine painter added a lifelike dimension to otherwise two-dimensional canvases by placing equal emphasis on his subjects’ physical attributes and psychological characteristics. Not afraid to leave his studio, Reeves regularly traveled to tracks and training facilities to study his four-legged subjects and talk to their owners, trainers and drivers, to better understand the horses’ personalities. The result was a lifetime of stunning portraits that magnificently captured the character and individuality of each equine subject.

Although Reeves has become known primarily for his Thoroughbred portraiture, his roots were firmly embedded in the Standardbred community. Born in Manhattan on November 6, 1919, young Reeves indulged his passion for horses and art by spending his free time sketching Standardbreds at the nearby Mineola Fairgrounds, later the grounds of Roosevelt Raceway. It was there that he met Immortal Harry Pownall, who later became Arden Homestead Stables’ driver/trainer. Pownall was Reeves’ first patron in 1934 when he paid him $10 for a watercolor painting of Hanover Maid.

Reeves received his BA in Fine Arts from Syracuse University in 1941; however, he put his art career on hold to serve his country in World War II. It was during the four years he served in the US Navy, that Reeves fortuitously met fellow naval officer Robert G. Johnson, president of Roosevelt Raceway on Long Island, NY. Due to this fateful acquaintance Reeves obtained his first official commission: to paint portraits of the top trotters and pacers of 1946 for the flagship race track’s clubhouse.

Following Reeves’ Roosevelt experience, his fame spread rapidly within the Standardbred and Thoroughbred communities. He received commissions from prominent horsemen and art collectors that included the Aga Khan, Stanley Dancer, Elbridge T. Gerry, Sr., Harry Guggenheim, Roland Harriman, Paul Mellon, Delvin Miller and Ronald Reagan. His star subjects include Standardbreds Meadow Skipper, Nevele Pride, Adios, Speedy Somolli, and Cardigan Bay and Thoroughbreds Citation, Secretariat, Seattle Slew, Affirmed and Nijinsky. In summing up his years at the easel Reeves reflected, “My painting career started with the trotters. They’ve been good to me.” Richard Stone Reeves passed away October 7, 2005 in Greenport, NY, at the age of eighty-five.

September 2009 Children's Workshop

Check out our upcoming children's workshop at the Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame:

Fall Back to School

Children’s Workshop

Saturday, September 12, 2009

10:30 AM to 12:00 Noon

at the Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame

Join us at the Harness Racing Museum on Saturday, September 12 from 10:30-12:00 noon as we fall back to school in Standardbred style! Learn all about how Standardbred horses go to school in order to become stars on the harness track. Bring a spiral notebook and we will help you make decorative notebook covers to get your school year started on the right hoof! Jazz up your backpack with our horse-themed zipper pulls that you can decorate with our rainbow of glitter paint. We will even teach you to pace like a horse with our Buddy Pacers activity. Then test your skills as a driver by taking a ride on the 3-D Harness Racing Simulator! The cost is $5.00/child with one accompanying adult admitted free. This program is appropriate for children ages 3-11. Reservations are required; please call us at (845) 294-6330 for further information.

Museum to Restore Dick McMahon's Driving Colors

1931 Hambletonian Winner Calumet Butler with driver Dick McMahon

The Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame in Goshen, NY has received a $2,440 grant from the Greater Hudson Heritage Network for the treatment of Richard McMahon’s silk Driving Jacket; the work will be executed by textile conservator Gwen Spicer, Spicer Art Conservation, LLC.

“Dick” McMahon was born in Fredonia, KS, about 1880. Around 1896, he started as a groom and learned the art of driving trotters with the Steward Brothers of Kansas City, MO. His first claim to fame was with the pacer, Major Muscovite, at the turn of the century. He maintained a public stable until he went with Calumet Farm in Kentucky. With the Calumet horses he won many stakes, including the 1931 Hambletonian with Calumet Butler. Dick McMahon, who was rated one of the best harness drivers of his time, retired from racing after the 1931 season to manage Calumet Farm. He died in Kentucky in 1945 and was elected an Immortal of the Harness Racing Hall of Fame in 1958.

The Harness Racing Museum’s Carol Fleming Messenger Fund for the Care and Conservation of Drivers’ Colors continues to be a driving force behind the conservation treatment of the Museum’s silks collection. Established in 2004, the Messenger Fund has raised $39,400 through grants and individual sponsorships which have to date helped to preserve eight drivers’ jackets and nine caps. Projects completed this year include the jacket and caps of Immortals Gabe Cartnal, Henry Thomas and Lon McDonald. Much remains to be done and further individual and grant funding support will be sought in the coming year to provide for the colors that remain un-sponsored at this time. The jackets and caps of the following renowned reinsmen have been prioritized for care but as yet remain without a funding sponsor:

Ralph Baldwin

Tom Berry

Harry Burright

Will Caton

Charles Coburn

Guy Crippen

Jimmy Cruise

Vernon Dancer

John Dodge

Charles Fitzpatrick

W. Forester Gibbons

Clint Hodgins

Joe O’Brien

Nat Ray

Sanders Russell

Ira Ryerson

Frank Safford

Bi Shively

Specific estimates can be obtained for those interested in helping with this important project to preserve harness racing's important memories, however as a general guideline, the cleaning and/or treatment of a single jacket may range in cost from $350 to $3,500 depending upon condition. The cleaning and/or treatment of an individual cap may range in cost from $200 to $1,500. These are broad general estimates. Donations of any amount are invited. They can be sponsor-specific or not and according to donor instructions will be acknowledged on exhibition labels and in all announcements.

To adopt the colors of one of these memorable characters contact Rebecca Howard, manager of the Museum’s Historic Collections Department at 845.294.6330 or email collections@harnessmuseum.com

The Greater Hudson Heritage Network (formerly Lower Hudson Conference of Historical Agencies & Museums) has awarded nearly $120,000 in conservation treatment grants to 27 organizations, located in 18 counties of New York, in association with the Museum Program of the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA), a state agency. These 2009 awards bring the total granted by this statewide program to over $1 million, since the Conservation Treatment Grant program began in 2000.

From the Bronx to Buffalo, these re-granted funds will provide treatment by professional conservators to aid in stabilizing, preserving, and making accessible to the public an array of unique objects in collections of New York’s museums, historical and cultural organizations of all sizes.

From Seneca Falls to Smithtown, 2009 grants will support treatment of ancient Greek kylizes and contemporary bronze sculpture, printed earthenware, silk and woven textiles, and oil paintings—such as an 18^th c. Cuzco School Madonna and Child, 19^th c. portraits, and 20^th c. landscapes with their carved, gilt frames; a 28 ft. wall mural, an early 20^th c. Grand Advertising Curtain, and Frank Stella’s Big Gur. Diverse objects such as artist Thomas Cole’s Top Hat, a Leather Fire Hose, panoramic photograph of Gloversville, The Caudebec Inn 1920’s Hotel Register, a plaster bull sculpture maquette, carriages, coaches, a newsprint sign and a Native American clam basket are among the artifacts stewarded by collecting and exhibiting institutions from Rochester to Rhinebeck receiving conservation treatment support through the 2009 grant program.

Grants are awarded for prioritized, urgently needed conservation of objects that, once treated, will impact public interpretive programs, exhibitions and education. Non-profit organizations with stewardship responsibility for cultural collections were eligible applicants; state or federally owned collections are ineligible for support. Grant funding can treat paintings, works on paper, textiles, furniture, sculpture, ethnographic, historical and decorative objects, and may also support accompanying professional treatment of frames, supports, stands and mounts if integral to the final public presentation of the object, after conservation.

Greater Hudson Heritage Network strives to provide support for conservation treatments that are executed on the highest professional level. The field of conservation is continually changing, with pioneering research and dissemination of findings on innovative materials and techniques. Although there are many paths into the field of conservation, we acknowledge practitioners who have demonstrated high levels of proficiency and advanced knowledge, adherence to the ethics and standards of the American Institute of Conservation (AIC), and are recognized for their expertise in the museum field.

An evaluation of the first five years of the Conservation Treatment Grant Program reported that these grants led to public impact outcomes beyond the actual conservation of museum objects, including heightened appreciation of the collections, and increased public awareness of the institution’s role as steward, and has proven a spark to further institutional, strategic, financial and long-range conservation planning. Beyond these outcomes, grant recipients reported that Conservation Treatment funding prompted fuller use of collections (for exhibition, web content and loan), enhanced interpretive capability, and expanded opportunities to educate the public about art, history, humanities, the science of conservation, and museum work.

41 grant applications were received at Greater Hudson from institutions in 23 counties of New York State, requesting an aggregate of nearly $192,000 in grant support. 27 awards totaling approximately $120,000 were recommended by a peer panel of conservators, curators and museum professionals. Individual 2009 Conservation Treatment Grants range from $555 to $7,500.

Of the 27 funded institutions, 63% have annual budgets under $360,000 (15% with operating budgets of less than $50,000), and 37% have budgets greater than $400,000 (15% of those have budgets of $400-$750,000; 15% are in the $1.8 million - $4.5 million range, and 7% operate at over $17 million). Organizational annual operating budgets of 2009’s grant recipients span a stunning range from $3,400 to $18.7 million

Horsin' Around

Horsin' Around is a new feature that profiles various people related to the harness racing industry. If you are interested in being featured, please email the Education Department.

This week we corresponded with Stephen Thompson, blogger and soon-to-be webmaster of Maine's Lost Trotting Parks. After working with his cousin, Clark P. Thompson, author of Maine's Trotting Horse Heritage Trail published in 2009, Stephen was inspired to uncover Maine's harness racing heritage by locating the sites of some of the most popular trotting parks of the 1800s.

What drew you to researching the history of Maine's trotting parks?

My research with Maine's lost trotting parks started when I helped my cousin, Clark Thompson of Bangor, Maine, locate the fairgrounds of the North Kennebec Agricultural and Horticultural Society. With the lack of a museum for Maine Trotting Horse History, Clark decided to establish the Maine Trotting Horse Heritage Trail. As described in his book, twenty inscribed granite markers have been placed from Old Orchard Beach to Dover-Foxcroft. Each marker celebrates a significant event in Maine trotting horse history.

With this as a beginning, I realized that Maine at one time had many trotting parks and today most of them are gone.

Clark and I are also researching Maine's famous trotting stallion Nelson and Sunnyside Farm which was owned by Charles Horace Nelson. We are searching for lost memorabilia, paintings, photographs, and trophies. These items are either lost forever or may be part of private collections.

What would you consider the ultimate goal of the project?
The ultimate goal of the project is to bring greater visibility, appreciation, and understanding of Maine's trotting horse history, the Standardbred horse, and agricultural societies and their fairs. The standard-bred horse played a big role in our history -- a work horse, transportation, and racing.

How would you describe the significance of cataloguing the trotting park sites?
Cataloguing the history of Maine's trotting park sites bring to light both a past way of life and a place where people attended events for personal enjoyment and educational purposes. Today, many Mainers are not aware of this rich history. It is a small part of our history, yet it too has it moments of mystery and intrigue.

What has been your most rewarding discovery on the project to date?
Researching the history of Sunnyside Farm and the trotting stallion Nelson has been a challenging and time consuming project. Clark has spent many more hours reading newspapers accounts from the 1890's. Our research has involved genealogical work, time at the Kennebec Registry of Deeds, and interviewing wonderful people who volunteer their time at local historical societies and local government.

Describe your involvement with the sport of harness racing.

In reality I have little involvement with Maine's harness racing industry. However, I do find its history intriguing. Much of this history is passing us by. Now is the time to make good effort to capture this history before it is gone. Perhaps that's my greatest motivation.

Thanks, Stephen! Don't forget to visit his blog for insights and great images of Maine's harness racing history.

Museum Restoration Raffle Winners Announced

A complete listing of the winners of the 2009 Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame Restoration Raffle is now available online at www.harnessmuseum.com. This important annual event provides funding for artifact conservation. Projects completed with the help of more than $58,000 brought in since 1995 have included the treatment of horse drawn vehicles, such as Hambletonian’s 1860 skeleton wagon and the 1900 Dan Patch sleigh; historic paintings by significant artists including Edward Troye and John McAuliffe; numerous Currier & Ives lithographs; as well as drivers’ silks.

This year's grand prize was a “Driving School Dream Package.” The 3-day package includes the May 2010 driving course, donated by the United States Trotting Association, and travel and expense stipends provided by Harness Horsemen International and Peter Gerry for The Delvin Miller Amateur Drivers’ Association. Museum friend Wayne Smith was the winner!

Dinner for two at CIBO in Manhattan, NY, donated by museum member Jay Farrar, has been won by Carol, Mrs. Norman Dauplaise. Mario Marchi’s gift of dinner two at his very special Gotham restaurant was won by museum member Allan Schott.

Other top prizes offered in this year’s drawing included New York Giants, two home game tickets, NBA New York Knicks, two home game tickets, The Meadowlands’ Terraces Restaurant, dinner for four, one pair of jog cart wheels, Craig's Fine Food & Spirits Restaurant, country brunch for four, set of three matching customized harness bags, Visitor's Package, dinner for two and one night stay at Batavia Downs, The Little Brown Jug, two grandstand tickets, Gold Golf Putter, museum commemorative club, “Day At The Races,” package for four from Hawthorne Race Course, Stickney/Cicero, IL, Art Print of Niatross, by Richard A. Botto, sculpture by Cindy Seng: Book, 100 Years in Harness, signed by author Nicole Kraft, one year subscription to Hoof Beats magazine, Afghan, commemorating 1992 Horse of the Year, Artsplace, Hambletonian/Breeders Crown Gift Bag, Hambletonian/Breeders Crown Gift Bag, decorative harness racing throw pillows, John Campbell Bobble Head Doll, Folk Art, Welcome Sign, Travmuseet Souvenir Hat and T-shirt, Kitchen Accessories Basket, and a Harness Racing Souvenir Gift Bag.

We invite all ticket holders to visit the museum’s website at www.harnessmuseum.com to see if they are one of this year’s winners!

August 2009 Children's Workshop

Looking for a fun activity for your children to complete this weekend? Look no further than the Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame's August 2009 workshop:

Ride Like the Wind

August 2009 Children's Workshop
Saturday, August 8, 2009 from 10:30 AM to 12:00 noon

Join us at the Harness Racing Museum on Saturday, August 8 from 10:30-12:00 noon as we harness the power of the wind! Discover the science behind weathervanes—colorful weather instruments often perched atop stables. Learn how to make your own weathervanes as well as their pint-sized cousins, pinwheels, using common household materials. Explore the Museum through our Wacky Weathervane Scramble activity. Then ride like the wind on our very own 3-D Harness Racing Simulator! The cost is $5.00/child with one accompanying adult admitted free. This program is appropriate for children ages 3-11. Reservations are required; please contact the Education Department at (845) 294-6330 for further information.

Harness Racing History Makes ESPN News

Looking for a great story about harness racing history? Check out this article from ESPN about 1929 Hambletonian Stakes winner Walter Dear and his driver, Charlie Mills.