by Tim Bojarski, president, UNY-USHWA

Akron, NY — The members of the Upstate New York Chapter of the United States Harness Writers Association are proud to announce that Ben Webster and Patsy C. Rapone will be installed in the Upstate New York Harness Racing Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2011 representing Batavia Downs. Webster and the family of Rapone will be presented their Empire Pinnacle Crystal awards to mark the occasion, trackside on Saturday (September 10) at Batavia Downs Casino.

Ben Webster

Ben Webster is a home grown Western New York racing legend. He lived in Hilton, N.Y., and got his first driving win at the age of 16 at the Hemlock Fair; both a mere 25 miles from Batavia Downs. But that incipient stage of his development would later see a 47 year career unfold on the biggest stages of the sport as Webster would go on to win the Hambletonian, the Little Brown Jug and the Kentucky Futurity.

Webster, AKA “The Master of the Half-Mile” and “Benny the Whip,” would win his first pari-mutuel race at Buffalo Raceway in 1958. He competed on the Western New York circuit until 1965 when he decided to relocate to Yonkers and Roosevelt Raceway. Webster joined what many believe was the greatest driver colony ever, competing against legends like Billy Haughton, Carmine Abbatiello, Buddy Gilmour, Del Insko and John Chapman.

In 1975 Webster won the Little Brown Jug with a little known 3-year-old gelding named Seatrain (Meadow Skipper–Mary Brakefield, 1:55, $825,006). Just a week before the big stake, he set a world record for 3-year-old pacing geldings on a half-mile track at Batavia Downs and that prompted his trainer to enter him in the Jug.

In 1976 Webster purchased Oil Burner (Most Happy Fella-Dottie Shadow, 1:54.2, $535,541) from Stanley Dancer and won several major races including the Oliver Wendell Holmes and Monticello-OTB Classic. After he retired, Oil Burner was later syndicated for $2.7 million.

Webster retained 40 percent of one of his first and most successful foals, No Nukes (Oil Burner-Gidget Lobell, 1:52.1, $572,430). No Nukes went on to even greater success in the breeding shed and was one of only six $100 million sires in the sport.

Webster won the 1981 Messenger Stakes with Seahawk Hanover (Bret Hanover–Skipper’s Romance, 1:55.2, $675,122), the 1984 Hambletonian with Historic Freight (ABC Freight-Proper Freight, 1:57, $668,392) and the 1985 Kentucky Futurity with one of his favorite horses, Flak Bait (Speedy Somolli-Whims And Wishes, 1:55.2, $880,576).

In a career that spanned six decades, Benny “The Whip” Webster won 4,378 races and his horses earned purses of $43,197,645.

Born and raised in Caledonia, N.Y., Patsy C. Rapone came from a harness racing family; just about every relative was involved in the sport in some capacity. His father Lou Rapone was a national training and driving force from the 1950s right through the 1970s and amassed 2,069 wins in his career. So it was no surprise when Patsy left high school to go work with his dad taking care of the horses. He started driving at age 21 at Batavia Downs in 1974.

USTA photos

Patsy Rapone

Although he became one of the most proficient local drivers in Western New York harness racing history, his career found success all over the country. He won driving championships at Buffalo Raceway, Batavia Downs, Northfield Park, The Meadows and Pompano Park. He was always pursued to drive top flight stock including the likes of K D’s Precious (1:56, $211,042, Big Towner-Farma Hanover), Blackwater JK (1:56.4, $184,121, Nero-True Freight) and many horses for the then formidable Rama Farms. But Rapone will probably most be remembered for his handling of the great trotter Manfred Hanover (1:55.2, $898,329, Super Bowl-Miss Sue Hanover).

Known as the “Don Juan” of harness racing, Manfred Hanover’s success on the track was a result of his unorthodox lifestyle between races. He was a castoff trotter that drank Gatorade, raced the same day he was breeding mares, and competed successfully without training for most of his career. Rapone had a great rapport with the champion and drove him all over the east coast, competing against the best Open trotters there were.

One of the biggest races Rapone competed in at his hometown track (Batavia Downs) came in 1993 when he steered Night Court Dan (1:55.4, $1,401,243, Supreme Lobell-Bubble Bath) in the $60,000 Provenzano Trot, finishing behind Earl (1:54.2, $984,318, Balanced Image-Linfields Gem) and Chris Christoforou in a track record time.

During his short career, Patsy C. Rapone won 2,643 races and $5.8 million in purse money. He died of brain cancer on May 16, 1996, at the age of 42.

For more information on the Upstate New York Harness Racing Hall of Fame, go to www.upstatenyushwa.com.