Batavia, NY – The Board of Directors of the Western New York Harness Horsemen’s Association has announced that its longtime president and executive director, Bruce Tubin, has retired from that position he held for 35 years.
Tubin earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration and a Juris Doctor degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo. In 1976 he left a growing law practice to actively pursue his first love, that of owning, training and driving Standardbreds. Since he made that decision, Tubin was actively involved in the sport in all three of those capacities until 1992.
When he walked out of the barn for the last time, Tubin walked into the Western New York Harness Horsemen’s Association and became its president and administrative director the same year and has worked tirelessly to make positive contributions to the sport, both locally and nationally, ever since.
One of his first orders of business was to represent all of the New York State harness horsemen as a member of the board of directors of an industry-wide lobbying group that was ultimately successful bringing video lottery terminals to New York State racetracks. The result of that action was an immediate turnaround of the Standardbred breeding and racing industry statewide, which continues to thrive to this day.
On the local level in Western New York, Tubin negotiated the first designated purse account in harness racing, a practice that has now become an industry standard.
He inherited a floundering pension plan and made it solvent again for its participants. He helped preserve retirement benefits for hundreds of members, demonstrating his steadfast commitment to the welfare of the members of the Association. Now it is one of the largest pension plans of its kind in the sport.
Tubin designed and administered a comprehensive health insurance program for drivers, trainers, and grooms, offering vital protection and peace of mind to hundreds of individuals and families who make their living racing horses.
Outside of his home tracks, Tubin also represented horsemen on a broader level as a United States Trotting Association Director for District 8 in Upstate New York from 1997 until 2019. In that position, he helped champion critical infrastructure improvements and secured funding that modernized and improved racing operations for the benefit of all members of the racing community. One major project Tubin worked on was a committee that spent significant time cleaning up and updating the USTA Rule Book in 2016.
Mike Torcello, who now serves as the Association’s new president, reflected on Tubin’s tenure, and on the effect he had on harness racing.
“Bruce has served the WNYHHA with unwavering dedication and distinction for 35 years, providing visionary leadership that has profoundly shaped and sustained the future of harness racing in Western New York. His efforts extended beyond administration to advocacy, policy, and innovation, ensuring not only the survival but also the modernization of the sport. His depth of institutional knowledge, strategic insight, and industry relationships remain critical to the Association’s future success, and I look forward to his future influence in his new role as a consultant to assist in a smooth leadership transition, continued strategic initiatives, and ensured long-term stability for our horsemen,” said Torcello.
The upstate New York Chapter of the United States Harness Writers Association awarded Tubin its Service to Industry Award in 2015 for his lifelong dedication to the sport of harness racing.