I have always been an avid reader. When I first became enamored with harness racing, I eagerly awaited the Harness Horse, Horseman and Fair World and Hoof Beats, and I read them cover to cover.
Tag: hoof beats
Hoof Beats: Crowning Glory
Nine years ago, on Aug. 6, 2016, Marion Marauder’s straight-heat win in the 91st edition of the Hambletonian Stakes kicked off his sweep of the Trotting Triple Crown, making him only the ninth horse in harness racing history to win the Hambletonian, the Yonkers Trot and the Kentucky Futurity. And through his six-season career on the track, he amassed $3,392,609 in North American purses—the seventh best of all time among trotters— and became a fan favorite worthy of honor in harness racing’s Living Horse Hall of Fame, a distinction he received July 6 in Goshen, N.Y.
Hoof Beats: Student Driver
Malvern Burroughs’ life in harness racing was unique, in the most literal sense of the word. He was one of one.
Hoof Beats: Summer Reading
I devoured Katie Bo Lillis’s new book, Death of a Racehorse: An American Story, over the course of two days and two nights in early May, right after it was released. I will confess to being skeptical about it before I cracked it open. The title struck me as sensationalistic, and it seems that many writers who take on integrity and welfare issues in horse racing arrive with agendas that trample objectivity. I expected the same this time.
July Hoof Beats: Celebrating the Class of ’25
The July edition of Hoof Beats celebrates the newest members of the Harness Racing Hall of Fame, who will be inducted Sunday (July 6) in Goshen, N.Y.
June Hoof Beats: Pinehurst, Past and Present
The June edition of Hoof Beats takes readers to Pinehurst, N.C., a winter hotbed of Standardbred training for over a century.
Hoof Beats: Genes in Motion
Standardbred racing has always been driven by performance — both on the track and in the breeding shed. But as the sport evolves and public scrutiny intensifies at a swift pace, we are learning that genetics matter — not just for speed, but also for sustainability, welfare and perception.
Hoof Beats: Going the Extra Mile
Pinehurst, N.C., is known worldwide for golf and boasts 42 courses, including five designed by the legendary Donald Ross. But it has also been a haven for harness racing for well over a century and home to a litany of Hall of Fame performers. While this beautiful destination is steeped in history and guarded by preservationists, there is one unprotected location that a lifelong resident of the community is on a mission to bring under that same umbrella.