A closer look at the Immortals Hall of Fame
Every year, on the first Sunday of July, harness racing’s greatest human and equine performers are enshrined into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame, in Goshen, N.Y., amid a large celebration on the lawn of the Harness Racing Museum. Every fan of the sport should attend the event at least once to appreciate the celebration and absorb the history that goes along with it.
For those who have never been to Goshen and are not well versed in how the Hall is laid out, it’s important to note that there are two distinct categories that people and horses get elected to — the Immortals Hall and the Living Hall — and the history of how that came to be is very interesting.
Janet Terhune, director of the Harness Racing Museum, explained:
“The Immortals Hall of Fame was started in 1953, and, by design, only horses were elected through 1957. From that first year of Immortal voting, no living horse was eligible. A list propagated by members of a special museum committee naming horses famous before 1900 was circulated to the museum trustees, who were asked to place the names of 10 of them on their individual ballots. Then, the horses who received two-thirds of the votes of all the trustees were elected into the Immortals Hall.
“In 1958, when people were first added to be honored, the guidelines were very similar. No living person was considered, trustees and members of the Hall of Fame could make nominations, and they had to get two-thirds of the trustees’ votes to get inducted. That first year, 39 horsemen were elected.
“The Living Hall of Fame came about a few years later and was the idea of Ed Binneweg and the United States Harness Writers Association. They wanted to celebrate modern-era stars while they were still alive. They approached E. Roland Harriman (founder, president and chairman of the Trotting Horse Museum/Hall of Fame of the Trotter) and the board in 1959 with the idea, and upon their approval, the first class was elected in 1961.”
In 1996, the Living Hall was expanded to horses, and they have been included in the voting every year since.
“As we go through the nominations each year, some are eliminated quickly. But others we look at and say, ‘How did they miss this person or horse 40 or 50 years ago?'”
– Tom Charters
Whereas both halls serve a similar purpose, they are clearly separated by era and procedure.
Nominations and voting for the Living Hall of Fame continue to be conducted by the United States Harness Writers Association through the member chapters. The Living Hall is housed in the museum, and there is cooperation between the two organizations throughout the entire process. However, nominations and voting for the Immortals Hall, as has been the case since its inception, are conducted by the museum alone with the help of a nine-person committee whose participation in the sport is extensive and varied.
One of those members is Tom Charters, longtime president and CEO of the Hambletonian Society and 2021 inductee of the Living Hall of Fame. Charters, one of the most historically knowledgeable individuals in harness racing, took the time to explain the requirements and processes used to select notable participants of the sport from long ago to become enshrined in the Immortals Hall.
“The Immortals cover those who are deceased, and it’s important for many reasons,” said Charters. “The sport has such a long history that a very large number of its participants from the 19th and early 20th century made headlines and records long before the Living Hall was created. So many fell through the cracks and were overlooked. The Immortals Hall gives them the opportunity to take their rightful place in history.”
Today, in order for a person be nominated as an Immortal, they must have been deceased for at least three years. The committee looks for similar characteristics to those in the Living Hall, including integrity, performance and contributions to the sport.
“Our committee consists of individuals who have long been involved in the sport and in many different capacities,” continued Charters. “And we have a very high bar. Any nominee considered must get 75% of the vote from the group to be named into the hall. And the people we put in are not just drivers and trainers. They can be from any corner of the sport, including innovators who made harness racing better.
“As we go through the nominations each year, some are eliminated quickly. But others we look at and say, ‘How did they miss this person or horse 40 or 50 years ago?’ because they were that good. And in the case of horses and horsepeople from the 19th and early 20th century, unless you’re pretty well read of the old journals and papers, you may not be aware of the great things they did back in the day. But that doesn’t diminish those accomplishments or their right to be honored for them. And the Immortals Hall makes sure they finally get the notoriety they deserve.”
Any museum member can nominate a person or horse who has been deceased at least three years for the Immortals Hall. Nominations must be accompanied by biographical information outlining the nominee’s contributions to the Standardbred sport and must be received by the museum director no later than March 1 of any given year. These nominations are reviewed by the Immortals Committee, who makes recommendations to the Hall of Fame’s Board of Trustees, who then elects Immortals at its annual meeting on Hall of Fame Day (the first Sunday in July).
Although each class of Immortals includes names from generations ago, oftentimes their family or friend connections are still around, and these people from outside the racing world are brought in to celebrate their accomplishments.
“After the new Immortals are announced, we do an extensive search to try and contact any relatives who may still be alive to come to the ceremony and accept for them,” said Terhune. “And many times, when we contact these people, typically they do show up and enjoy the event. So, we reach people outside the sport and they get reintroduced to their heritage. It’s kind of rewarding to bring other people in and say, ‘We recognize you.’” Currently, the Immortals Hall has more members (592) than the Living Hall (255) because when a member from the Living Hall passes, they become an Immortal. Right now, there are 319 people honored as Immortals — composed of 237 who went directly in as an Immortal along with 82 who were originally Living Hall members who passed — along with 273 horses. The Living Hall currently consists of 134 human members and 121 horses.
This column appears in the July 2026 issue of Hoof Beats, the official magazine of the USTA. To learn more, or to become a subscriber to harness racing’s premier monthly publication, click here.