Columbus, OH — The inaugural season of the Standardbred Incentive Program has come to a close and the final placings and points have been tallied.

Marcia Harmelink and Metro’s Escape. Amber Lemery photo.

The big winner for the 2022 show season was Metro’s Escape and Marcia Harmelink. The pair live in Kansas and showed in various disciplines including halter, western, obstacles/trail, showmanship and western horsemanship, with a couple hunter under saddle and equitation classes thrown in the mix. Metro’s Escape, by Metropolitan, earned $40,666 on the track, but is excelling in the show ring; he is taking home SIP divisional honors in Halter, Handler Performance, Western and Games & Contesting.

“I’ve been showing at local shows off and on for several years now, and decided at the end of 2021 to set my goals higher, challenge myself (and Metro) and focus on some bigger shows,” said Harmelink. “We are getting some attention at these bigger shows. This summer, I had people commenting on Metro’s good looks, and guessing he is a mustang or a Fox Trotter. I enjoyed the chance to do a little education on Standardbreds and their impressive versatility.”

Other divisional winners include:

English Flat – Gone Pecan
Over Fences – Pembroke Sparkle
Dressage – Determine This
Three Phase – Parade (show name: Merlin’s Magic)
Roadster – Gabe The Bear Dean
Carriage/Pleasure Driving – Jambalayabar Man (show name: JB)
Fresh off the Track – Luminosity

“We’re both encouraged and gratified to see the way SIP has been received in its first year,” said Mike Tanner, USTA executive vice president, “and I think the initiative will continue to grow in stature and scope. Standardbreds are amazingly versatile and even-tempered animals, as anyone who has ever been around them can attest. Congratulations to each of the category winners, and a sincere “thank you” to all who are part of the program.”

The Standardbred Incentive Program was launched in May of 2022 and is designed to recognize the participation and achievements of Standardbreds off the track. The current 2023 show season runs Dec. 1, 2022 through Nov. 30, 2023.

More information about the Standardbred Incentive Program, the various disciplines recognized, tutorials about how you can enroll and more can be found on this page of the Life After Racing section of the USTA website.