A native of Clarksburg, Ohio, Ater has become one of the most respected horsemen in the state of Ohio during his 40-plus year career. Ater was elected to serve as a director for the Ohio Harness Horsemen's Association in 1991 and the United States Trotting Association in 2008. From 2010 until 2013, Ater took over the managing duties of the Hawkinsville Training Center in Georgia. [More...]

Veteran driver/trainer won more than 800 races and $2.1 million in purses during seven decades in the sport. Top horses included Chet Lynn Hayes, Town Leader, and Ocean Mouth. Native Ohioan was a decorated WWII veteran, and one of the original founders of the Ohio Harness Horsemen's Association.

Tom Brinkerhoff, one of Ohio's top trainers/drivers, was enshrined as the 45th member of the Ohio Harness Racing Hall of Fame. During Brinkerhoff's 60-plus year career, he campaigned some of Ohio's best horses, including Osborne Creed; Osborne's Bret; Golly Too, the time Ohio Sires Stake champion; Lark's Luke ($441,240); Doc Mistake ($342,793); and Ruffstuff Baker, the Ohio Triple Crown winner in 1993. Brinkerhoff was elected into the Northfield Park Wall of Fame in 1994 and received the Jerry Kaltenbach Memorial Award as the top Ohio Stake trainer in 1995. [More...]

Donald ‘Skip’ Hoovler, a longtime Standardbred owner known for his relentless dedication to the sport, has been elected as the 51st member of the Ohio Harness Racing Hall of Fame by a vote of the members of the Ohio Chapter of the United States Harness Writers Association.

He became involved in harness racing in 1968, and races mostly homebreds in the Ohio stakes program. Among his top horses were Medoland Sam ($231,120), Medoland Big Sam ($309,423), Medoland Miracle ($289,633), Northmedo Tam ($128,722) and Northmedo Mission ($322,178).

Hoovler’s greatest accomplishment in harness racing has come away from racetracks and breeding sheds. He has given selflessly of his time for the betterment of the sport in the Buckeye State. [More...]

Jerry Knappenberger of Newark, Ohio began his 50-year harness racing career as an assistant trainer for fellow Hall of Famer Terry Holton. In 1998, Knappenberger took over as General Manager of the Ohio Harness Horsemen's Association, a position he held for 17 years. Kappenberger, worked tirelessly for the introduction of Video Lottery Terminals in the state of Ohio. [More...]

Don Logan McKirgan was born on October 17, 1940, in Mt. Gilead, Ohio. Early in his career, McKirgan worked for Delvin Miller, and much of his future skills from the Hall of Famer. [More...]

Operator of Northern Farms, Painesville, Ohio. Owner and breeder revered for his work with the Lake County Fairgrounds. Past President Ohio Harness Horsemen's Association, Harness Horseman International, and the Lake County Agricultural Society as well as a director of United States Trotting Association. [More...]

Ivan Sugg had the dream year of his four-decade training career in 2003 when he won the Pacing Triple Crown with No Pan Intended, just the tenth horse in history to do so. Sugg, a native of Deshler, Ohio, was also voted Trainer of the Year that year. The affable trainer followed his father into the business, and the trend has continued, with Sugg's sons Kurt and Duke also active in the sport.

Sugg Passes Harness Racing Down by Tyson Agler NWS Sports Writer - July 26, 2018

At a young age, Ivan Sugg was exposed to harness racing. [More...]

Richard "Dick" Stillings of Mount Vernon, Ohio has driven 5,751 career winners with more than $41.7 million in purse earnings. Stillings began his career as a groom for Hall of Fame trainer Dick Buxton. After a three-year stint in the U.S. [More...]

Dave Rankin is a native of Bremen, Ohio, and grew up in a racing family. He was the son of the well known Ohio horseman Scott Rankin. He drove in his first race on hius 16th birthday, and it was a rude awakening to the sulky sport as he was involved in a wreck with Harry Richardson. [More...]

A resident of Vienna Ohio has been selected as the 43rd member of the Ohio Harness Racing Hall of Fame. Wollam began his illustrious career in 1965 working for Forrest Short. Since then, Wollam has tallied 1,784 trips to the winners as a trainer and 1,139 in the sulky. [More...]

Trainer/ Driver Terry Holton has long been regarded as one of the top horsemen in the Midwest, and he was formally acknowledged as such with his 2005 induction into the Ohio Harness Racing Hall of Fame. Holton, a native of Newark, Ohio, has driven the winners of more than 1,700 races and has earnings of more than $4.7 million. He got his first exposure in harness racing in 1953, and after graduating high school in 1960, Holton went on to win his first race.

He has won numerous driving and training titles at Scioto Downs and is a longtime Ohio Harness Horseman's Association director. [More...]

Donald E. Mossbarger, DVM, received a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from The Ohio State University in 1945 and shortly thereafter began his large animal veterinary practice and founded Midland Acres, one of Ohio's leading breeding farms and premier Standardbred nurseries, located in Bloomingburg.

Midland Acres was originally established to supplement Dr. Mossbarger’s veterinary practice. [More...]

Trainer/Driver Sam "Chip" Noble III was born in Xenia, Ohio, and broke into racing at Lebanon Raceway at the tender age of 17. Known over the years for his fantastic percentage figures, Noble won driving titles at Latonia and Lebanon before turning his attention to bigger circuits. Chosen to represent the United States in the biennial World Driving Championship in 2001 and 2003. [More...]

A native of Springfield, Ohio, Charters began his career with horses in the 1960s working as a groom at the Madison County, Fairgrounds and Scioto Downs for several seasons. He later worked for trainers Dick Buxton and Delvin Miller. He worked as a race secretary in Macau and at The Meadows in Pennsylvania before becoming Executive Director of the Breeders Crown in 1984. [More...]

Mentor businessman Jerome Osborne, born in 1922, has been a strong and steadfast supporter of Ohio harness racing since the mid-1960s. He's enjoyed success at the highest levels with such stars as Majestic Osborne, Osborne's Bret, Sharky Osborne, Justabit Of Magic, Empress Osborne, Obsborne's Gypsy, and Osborne Creed, a star pacer in the early 1970s.

Buckeye native is arguably the sport's foremost race caller. With more than 40 years behind the microphone, Huston has called races in 15 different states, six countries and on three continents. Long known as the voice of The Meadows, the man of many rings is no-doubt best known for his memorable calls of every Little Brown Jug since 1967.

A native of Kentucky, Jones has spent his career managing Standardbred breeding farms. After serving in World War II, Jones assisted his father in managing Mac-Dot Farm, a breeding and training facility outside of Columbus in the late 1940s. He moved to Pickwick Farm near Bucyrus in 1951 where he played a major role in developing the use of artificial insemination in Standardbred racehorses. [More...]

Harness racing leaders yesterday mourned the death of Charlie Hill, founder and owner of Scioto Downs.

"How do you replace a Charlie Hill?" asked John Cashman, president of the Red Mile and Castleton Farm in Lexington, Ky. "He was a great participant and came to the track with all of his enthusiasm."

Hill Farms sponsored a 2-year-old pacing stakes at the Red Mile, and each October Hill was there to present the trophies. "If it meant three divisions, Charlie, despite his frail health, would make the trek from his table to present the trophies after every race."

Hank Thomson, co-founder of the Little Brown Jug in Delaware, Ohio, noted that Hill had served on its board of directors since the inception of the Triple Crown race for 3-year-old pacers in 1946.

"Charlie was a pretty powerful man in our sport," Thomson said. [More...]