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THE HARNESS RACING HALL OF FAME

THE LIVING HALL OF FAME ELECTION INFORMATION

The United States Harness Writers Association
conceived the idea for the Living Hall of Fame in 1958

For a complete listing of the members of The Harness Racing Hall of Fame:

 Click Here !

How does a person become a member of The Living Hall of Fame?

Each year living persons, who have made a significant contribution to the sport of Harness Racing, are nominated by the members of The United States Harness Writers Association (USHWA) at each chapter level.

The criteria that guides selection requires ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contribution to harness racing. To be eligible a nominee must have been active in any phase of harness racing.

A selection screening committee, consisting of senior USHWA writers and Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame Trustees who are members of the Living Hall of Fame (acting as non-voting advisors) refines the list to a manageable number.

Biographies are then prepared and ballots sent to all writers with ten or more years of membership in the Association. Seventy-five percent of the ballots cast are required for election.

How does a person become a member of The Living Hall of Fame Senior Veterans Category?

Senior members of the sport, who have made significant contributions to the industry, are also honored by induction into the Living Hall of Fame.  
The following criteria guides selection of the nominees:

  1. Nominee must be sixty years of age or older.
  2. Nominee must have been active in the sport for at least 25 years.
  3. Nominee must not have been on the USHWA Living Hall of Fame ballot for at least three years. 
  4. Nominee must meet the criteria set forth for USHWA Hall of Fame nominees in the USHWA awards rules.

    Only one nominee may be chosen each year. Nominees must be approved by the USHWA Living Hall of Fame Committee and by two thirds of the voting membership of the USHWA Board of Directors. 

Induction ceremonies take place at The Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame, Goshen, NY, on the first Sunday in July. Honorees receive a commemorative ring. A lifelike statuette of each inductee is created and displayed in the Museum's Hall of Fame Gallery.

For more information, contact the Secretary of USHWA at ushwa@paonline.com 

THE LIVING HORSE HALL OF FAME ELECTION GUIDELINES


Niatross, inducted 1997

How does a horse become a member 
of The Living Hall of Fame?

The Bylaws of The Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame provide for the establishment, within the Museum, of a classification for living Standardbred horses known as The Living Horse Hall of Fame.

The Trustees of the Museum appoint a Nominating Committee. Based on the following approved criteria, they make selections for candidates for election.  
1. The horse must be drug free in official penalties in its racing career AND
2. The horse must be retired at least five years AND

For race horses:
the horse must have won 70% of its lifetime starts OR
gone undefeated in a campaign of 12 or more races OR
been the winner of $2.75 million lifetime OR
been named Horse of the Year (US and/or Canada)


For stallions:
rank among the top 10 money-winning sires of all time at his gait OR
have sired at least 100 $200,000 winners OR
been leading money-winning sire at his gait in three or more seasons

For broodmares:
produced a $1 million winner and two other $500,000 winners OR
produced a Horse of the Year and one other $500,000 winner

  


*Broodmares meeting the "broodmare category" criteria are automatically elected members of the Harness Racing Living Hall of Fame by the Museum's Board of Trustees.

Each year a slate of not more than five nominees is presented to the Museum's Membership. Members are entitled to not more than two votes each. Voting is by ballot, which is sent to all members in good standing as soon as the Board of Trustees has approved the slate. Completed ballots must be returned to the Museum's Membership Office on or before January 1st. The two horses receiving sufficient votes as specified by the Board of Trustees are the winners.

Horses not receiving sufficient votes to be elected may be renominated the following year.

Induction ceremonies take place on Hall of Fame Day, the first Sunday in July. A commemorative plaque is installed in the Hall of Fame in honor and recognition of the inductee. A replica of the plaque is presented to the horse's current owner(s).  

HOW IMMORTALS ARE ELECTED


E. Roland Harriman, Immortal

How does a person or horse become an Immortal?

A Museum member can nominate a person or a trotter or pacer to be an Immortal. Nominations must be accompanied by biographical information outlining the nominee's contributions to the Standardbred sport and must be received by the Museum Director no later than March 1st of any given year. These nominations are reviewed by an Immortals Committee; recommendations are made to the Hall of Fame's full board of trustees and the board elects Immortals at its annual meeting on Hall of Fame Day, the first Sunday in July.


Click Here to Visit 
the Hall of Immortals

Click Here to Visit 
the Hall of Horse Immortals

The Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame
PO Box 590, 240 Main Street
Goshen NY 10924
(845) 294-6330