Harrisburg, PA — Nicholas J. Saponara, a member of the Harness Racing Communicators Hall of Fame, and a past president of the U.S. Harness Writers Association (USHWA), an organization to which he belonged for 57 years, passed away on Saturday (Dec. 7) after health issues.

A graduate of Northeast Catholic High School in Philadelphia in 1957, Saponara joined the sports department of the Philadelphia Bulletin that same year. At the time, it was the major evening newspaper of the Philadelphia metropolitan area.

Mr. Saponara worked for the Bulletin for 25 years. He served as the handicapper and morning line oddsmaker for the tracks covered by the Bulletin, also making the official track morning line at Brandywine Raceway, Liberty Bell Park, Atlantic City Race Course and the Thoroughbred track Keystone Park.

Mr. Saponara was a co-founder of the Delaware Valley Chapter of the Harness Writers in 1962 and served many years as the chapter’s secretary. He served as national President of USHWA for three years, 1980-1983, and was on the association’s board of directors for 29 years.

Mr. Saponara was also the driving force in spreading the annual national awards dinner beyond its traditional New York City home. He was the organizer behind many successful events, notably having the famed Philadelphia Mummers perform at an Atlantic City gathering.

Mr. Saponara was also a harness horse owner, along with longtime friend Marv Bachrad. They entrusted their horses to an up-and-coming French-Canadian horsemen named Herve Filion.

Mr. Saponara also owned Thoroughbreds and was a member of the Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association board of directors. In September of 2019, Parx Racing & Casino honored inducted him into that facility’s Hall of Fame.

For coverage of that event please click here.

A viewing for Mr. Saponara will take place this Wednesday (Dec. 11) at St. Ephrem Church, 5340 Hulmeville Road, Bensalem PA, from 9:30 to 11:15 a.m. A funeral mass will follow at 11:30 a.m. Burial will take place at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, 3301 W. Cheltenham Ave., Cheltenham PA.