Madison, WI – The Wisconsin Harness Horse Association is proud to announce its first Hall of Fame inductee for the Class of 2023. Joining the Immortals of Wisconsin will be Harry Ivey, a lifelong resident of Mineral Point, Wis. He will be inducted at the January 27th event in Madison.
When you think of Wisconsin racing, specifically racing in Mineral Point, you can’t think of it unless Harry Ivey comes to mind. Harrys’ involvement in racing dates back to the 1950’s & 1960’s. He operated a stable in Mineral Point for decades, most notably as an owner, but carefully overseeing his investment at the fairgrounds. Records are hard to find dating back to that era, but stories from local horsemen are plentiful.
Under the careful eyes of Wisconsin native horseman, Monroe Duncan, Harry brought back successful trotter Mrs. Jade to the Iowa County Fair in 1995 with hopes of updating their track record. The effort resulted in a tie (2:05.1), but helped put the mare in the Wisconsin records books. The previous record was set 39 years prior in 1956 and stood for an additional 7 years.
Harry has had many good quality race horses through the years. However, later in life, he became a prominent owner nationally. Despite his horses not being trained any longer at the Iowa County Fairgrounds, Harry (a lifelong resident of Mineral Point) partnered with his son Tom Ivey on national champions. Together they won the most prestigious trotting race in all of harness racing – The Hambletonian! A couple of Harry’s most prominent horses are listed below.
Most Notable Horses
Yankee Paco–T, 3, 1:53.2M-$1,486,197-Winner of the Hambletonian-Sire of over $7.1 million.
Cincinnati Kid–T, 3, 1:54.4S-$744,606- Sire of over $6.2 million.
Sand Chaser–T, 4, T1:53.4M-$199,327- Sire of over $3.8 million.
For those wishing to attend the banquet and honor Harry, contact WHHA President Gabe Wand at 608-574-5468 or gabewand@yahoo.com for more information.