Columbus, OH – U.S. Trotting Association President Russell Williams announced on Tuesday (March 3) that Wanda Polisseni is the recipient of the 2026 USTA President’s Award.
Polisseni, an 86-year-old resident of upstate New York, is well known for her harness racing successes on the track but perhaps even more so for her work to help ensure Standardbreds find second careers after being retired. Her Purple Haze Standardbred Adoption Program, located on a 105-acre farm purchased in November 2018, has placed more than 100 former harness racehorses in well-matched new homes.
Williams will recognize Polisseni during a luncheon on Saturday (March 7) as part of the USTA Board of Directors meetings (March 6-8) at the Hilton Columbus at Easton, in Columbus, Ohio. He said the award was in appreciation of “a lifetime of extraordinary dedication to the Standardbred and to the welfare of retired racehorses.”
“Through her leadership, philanthropy, and the creation of the Purple Haze Standardbred Adoption Program, Wanda has transformed countless lives, both human and equine, and exemplifies the highest level of service, compassion, and stewardship for our entire industry,” Williams said.
Polisseni, who got started as a harness racing horse owner 23 years ago, launched the Purple Haze Standardbred Adoption Program with the mission to rehabilitate and retrain Standardbreds so they can find new opportunities in the equestrian community, as well as to offer educational and training services to those who adopt horses. The PHSAP is accredited by the Standardbred Transition Alliance.
Polisseni is unable to attend the luncheon, but Purple Haze Standardbred Adoption Program Executive Director Betty Holt will accept the President’s Award on her behalf.
“I don’t do these things looking for accolades, but I’m really very, very thankful and humbled by it,” Polisseni said about being the USTA President’s Award recipient. “I appreciate everybody thinking of me. I haven’t done it alone, I’ve had help from people along the way with these horses, and I’m thankful and appreciative of them too.
“I’m proud of our organizations and what we do for our beloved equines, and I hope that as time goes by, we will grow even more. It doesn’t take a lot to save a horse, it just seems like it does. It doesn’t have to be hundreds of thousands of dollars. Ten dollars, $25, goes a long way. Every little bit counts. I wish everyone would think that way; we’d be so much better off.”
Polisseni also was a founding supporter of the Finger Lakes Thoroughbred Adoption Program. Beyond her efforts in racing, her many philanthropic endeavors include the Polisseni Foundation, which assists upstate New York organizations working in the areas of education, human services, and civic improvement.
“I love what I do, and I’m going to continue to do it,” she said.
Polisseni’s successes on the track under her Purple Haze Stables banner include Breeders Crown champion Winndevie, millionaire Dejarmbro, Hambletonian Oaks runners-up Phaetosive and Walspea, and numerous New York Sire Stakes stars (such as 2025 NYSS 2-year-old filly trot champ Sharp Seven). The stable has ranked among the Top 50 owners in purses on multiple occasions.
“I’m 86-years-old and still buying horses and racing,” Polisseni said with a laugh. “It’s the one thing I’ve done for myself. I don’t have much to do with it, other than paying the bills, but I love to watch them grow and mature and become what they are, whether they are stakes horses or just overnight horses. They don’t have to win for me to be happy. I just love them.”