from the USTA Communications Department

Columbus, OH — Longtime breeder and owner Arlene Siegel, 79, died Dec. 13, 2010, from lung cancer.

Mrs. Siegel, along with her husband, Jules, was one of the leading breeders and owners in harness racing. They enjoyed their top moment in 1995 when their Tagliabue won the Hambletonian and was voted the top 3-year-old male trotter.

In 2002, the U.S. Harness Writers Association voted them the sport’s Owners of the Year. That honor came on the heels of their 2-year-old trotting colt Broadway Hall carrying off a perfect 9-for-9 season, with victories in the Breeders Crown, Bluegrass and Reynolds. He was retired before beginning his 2003 season because of a suspensory injury.

The Siegels also received the Owners of the Year Award in 2009.

Originally from Scotch Plains, N.J., Mrs. Siegel was a nurse and at one time she and her husband owned a chain of 38 discount drugstores, Drug Fair and Cost Cutters, throughout New Jersey.

The Siegels were inspired to enter racing when their children moved back home after college. They later purchased Fashion Farms in eastern Pennsylvania, which has become a top breeding farm, and currently stands stallions Broadway Hall, Real Artist and Village Jolt.

Memorial contributions can be made to the American Cancer Society or Mrs. Siegel’s favorite charity, the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.