Columbus, OH — Fred Nichols, 78, a longtime racing executive in Maine and former director of the USTA, died Nov. 16, 2021.

Mr. Nichols was the racing secretary and an executive at Bangor Raceway for many years, serving as the track’s general manager from 1993 until 2004.

He first became interested in harness racing while attending New York University in the early 1960s, when he sold tip sheets at Roosevelt Raceway. After graduating from New York University, with a Master of Science degree, he earned an MBA from the University of California at Berkeley.

He was also active in the sport as an owner. His best horse was a claimer named B T’s Bonehead p,1:56.4f ($52,699), whom he bought at an auction using a Visa card.

Mr. Nichols was inducted into the New England Harness Writers Hall of Fame in 2010 and was selected as the Maine Harness Horsemen’s Association’s Track Executive of the Year on two occasions.

He was profiled in the September 2018 edition of Hoof Beats magazine. That article may be read by clicking on this link.

A full obituary will be posted when available.