from the Wisconsin Harness Horse Association

Platteville, WI — USTA Director Gabe Wand and his father, Robert Wand, will be honored on Saturday (Jan. 28) during the Wisconsin Harness Horse Association annual banquet.

The James Laird Memorial Award For Excellence is an award given to Wisconsin horsemen for excellence in racing and is named in honor of past WHHA President and USTA Director James Laird.

Photo courtesy of WHHA

Robert and Gabe Wand will receive the James Laird Memorial Award For Excellence.

Bob’s career began in the 1960s and has spanned five decades. After training roadside and at the Lafayette County Fairground in Darlington, he built his own training track on Silverthorn Road in rural Shullsburg, Wis. more than 30 years ago. From here he has raced at numerous county fairs in Wisconsin, Illinois and Iowa, along with all of the Chicagoland tracks and now-defunct Quad City Downs. Bob has done his own driving throughout the years, scoring wins at all of the above tracks. His prized broodmare, Miss Gypsy Witt, who has produced three $100,000-plus winners, is in the Wisconsin Harness Racing Hall of Fame.

In the early 1990s, Gabe Wand embarked on a fast tracked harness racing career with his father at the family training track. He drove in his first matinee race at age 13, won an amateur driving race at Maywood Park at 17, and went on to capture his first driving title at age 29. He has gone on to garner a total of eight driving titles, one runner-up honor and an additional three top 10 finishes.

This father-son duo have become no strangers to the top of Wisconsin harness racing standings. They have owned or trained four Wisconsin Pacers of the Year (Wand’s Banjo ’07, Mel’s Z Tam ’09, Mr Shankopotamus ’10, Yankee Time ’16) and one Wisconsin Trotter of the Year (Good Ride Cowboy ’09). In addition, they have sent postward an additional six top 10 pacers and an additional 10 top 10 trotters.

This year proved to be a record setting year for Gabe as he earned his eighth consecutive driving title. He now holds the all-time state record for the number of driving titles which was previously set in 2007. Gabe’s dedication to traveling the state helped him achieve this as he was the only person to drive at every Wisconsin race meet for the past six racing seasons.

The event is held annually at the Howard Johnson Hotel in Madison, Wis., and everyone is welcome to join. Dinner tickets are $22.50 per person and can be obtained by contacting WHHA Secretary Jeanne Marquis, 6651 Hyslop Rd. Dane, WI 53529. Also, the WHHA has a room rate of $77 per night (hot breakfast buffet included) and you can book rooms by contacting the hotel directly at 608.244.2481.