The May 2026 issue of Hoof Beats is the monthly magazine’s annual Top Picks edition, featuring the editorial staff’s projections as to who will emerge as the best 3-year-old pacers and trotters as the season unfolds.
Every so often, something happens outside of harness racing that quietly tells us more about ourselves than it does about the decision itself. It doesn’t come with a press release about the future of horse racing, and it isn’t framed as some referendum in front of the public on racing — but if we’re paying attention, it becomes one of the clearest signals we get.
Hawaii is the last place anyone would expect to find harness racing. However, at one time, under the heated glow of a volcanic sun, the rhythmic thunder of hooves cut through the island’s quiet, with horses chasing glory on a dirt oval not far from Waikiki waves.
The April edition of Hoof Beats celebrates 2025 Dan Patch Horse of the Year Beau Jangles, who compiled an undefeated 12-start rookie campaign en route to year-end honors.
Don Marean has worn a lot of hats in his long and storied career in harness racing , which dates to the 1980s. But, no matter what position Marean has held, the bottom line for him was, is, and continues to be the well-being of Standardbreds. And currently, Marean, now 84, continues to work for the secure future of Standardbreds after their racing careers conclude.
As a former chemistry major who has been involved in several horse-medication violation cases as a lawyer, and now as chairman of the USTA’s Harness Racing Medication Collaborative (HRMC), I can say that I have learned a bit about what constitutes a positive test — and, conversely, what does not.
The March issue of Hoof Beats celebrates David Miller, who became the all-time richest driver in North American harness racing last month after having amassed over $300 million in purse earnings through his illustrious career.
