Jessica Hallett: the Standardbred industry is good at its core

The end of the year is always a wonderful time for reflection – please take a moment and read this beautiful piece by recent Phil Pines Award recipient Jessica Hallett, where she recounts some of the notable acts and achievements of the harness racing community this year, especially regarding the re-homing and re-training of our glorious horses, as well as the endless acts of kindness within the racing community, and the community at large (appeared originally in DRF Harness, December 22, 2025):

In a sport defined by split-second decisions and photo finishes, it’s easy to forget that the most powerful moments in harness racing aren’t always the ones that happen on the track. As we race down to the wire of another year, the harness racing community proved time and time again in 2025 how a sport of individual competitions is truly distinguished by the ability to come together when it counts the most.

From planned events and dedicated races to rallying for the support of other horsemen, this year showed the very best in the harness racing community and why we all love the sport.

Horses are the reason for all of this and doing right by them is the least we can do for all that they do for us, on the track and in the barn. The industry once again demonstrated that fact this year.

Adoption and aftercare efforts were as successful as ever with not only a great number of horses placed in homes after racing, but with the flood of donations to support rehoming efforts saving horses from bad situations.

Horses often show up on the social media timelines asking to be rehomed. There are Facebook groups dedicated to rehoming and retraining standardbreds with members exchanging information, answering questions, and learning about the breed. While most of the posts are horsemen looking for safe landings for their horses following their careers, some of them are horses that have been pulled out of auctions, kill pens, and bad homes. And while most every horseman tries to do right by their horse, unfortunately some horses slip through the cracks and end up in these situations to no fault of the horsemen.

In 2025, I think the example of this that stood out among the rest would be Intrepid Seelster, a millionaire on the track and a producer of offspring that yielded over $10 million. The son of Camluck retired from his career as a stud and was sold, slipping away from the spotlight and into one of those bad situations. He was found emaciated and in poor conditions, but with the help of Facebook, Kim Hale, Sarah Anthon and others, Intrepid Seelster found the soft landing he deserved. He spent his final months eating lots of food and treats, living out in green pastures with friends of all breeds and sizes, and enjoying life again.

On the other side of the coin, many horses find their careers after racing through adoption programs. Most notably and a personal cause in my case, Purple Haze Standardbred Adoption Program handles adoptions out of Chenango County at their stunning facility fit for turn outs, comfortable stabling, and retraining. Purple Haze has adopted out over 100 horses. With a solid contract and efficient background check, the horses are sure to go to good homes.

In addition to generous sponsors and donations received year-round, I was honored to play a small part in raising money for such a great organization with the “Young Guns Versus the Veterans Charity Driving Challenge” at Saratoga Casino Hotel on September 14, 2025. The competition featured some of Saratoga’s veteran drivers – Wally Hennessey, Jim Devaux, Chris Long, and Mark Beckwith – driving for team Purple Haze/Veterans against some of Saratoga’s youngest drivers – Brett Beckwith, Matty Athearn, Mitch Cushing, and Jacob Cutting – who were driving for team Harness Horse Youth Foundation/Young Guns. I was truly shocked at the response to the endeavor, with over $45,000 raised for the two charities. The sponsorships and donations came in from all around the harness racing industry, from owners to trainers to business owners to breeders and more. People donated in the form of money or items to raffle off and others bid on those auctions to achieve such a successful outcome.

Accompanying Purple Haze with standout years in rehoming was MMXX Standardbreds, who also retrain horses for future careers and show those horses at local shows as well as the National Standardbred Horse Show. Exceptionally, they showed Homicide Hunter [91: 41-8-10; $1.7 million] among other well-known racehorses.

And finally, on the retraining of standardbreds forefront that stands out for me is the effort put up by Trot Trot Standardbreds Adoption and Retraining Program that not only aimed to rehome and retrain standardbreds but gave owners of standardbreds everywhere a chance at the show world through their virtual show program, complete with show ribbons and all.

Besides the event mentioned above, there were numerous charitable fundraising events that took center stage through initiatives like the Breeders Crown Charity Challenge, where drivers, trainers, owners, and fans collectively raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for organizations beyond the racetrack.

The Breeders Crown Charity Challenge topped the charts as one of the most inspiring crossovers of sport and community with over $450,000 raised for Kids Help Phone, Milton District Hospital Foundation, Food4kids Halton, and Peter Munk Cardiac Centre.

Whether the cause supported healthcare, animal welfare, or community outreach, each of these efforts and more demonstrated how harness racing can transform competition into generosity.

Within the confines of the industry, the sense of community resonates even stronger. Harness racing has always been a family atmosphere and that echoes loudly during the toughest moments. When tragedy struck, as in the case of the barn fires out in Indiana or in the sudden passing of horsemen out in Ohio, everyone mobilized instantly.

Donations, auctions, benefit events, messages, and more poured in via every way for each and every cause. Even those who had never met the ones affected stepped up and reflected the true value of horsemanship.

The most powerful movement of the year came in March 2025 when 27-year-old Hunter Myers lost his life in a tragic racing accident at The Meadows. When news hit that Myers did not survive the accident, people showed up in droves with support. Chris Gooden’s videos were emotional and telling, shared across the world and sharing Myers’ light with others who did not know him. His video of the packed hallways for Myers’ donor walk were truly inspiring, for both Myers’ donation and for the horsemen that rallied around his family.

The design I drew in tribute to Hunter Myers was asked to be made into a t-shirt. I agreed to sell them with all proceeds going to the family and the post blew up instantly. Over $35,000 was raised for Myers’ fiancée and son through t-shirt sales alone with 3,000 shirts sent all over. Horsemen stepped up to distribute shirts at every track across the United States and Canada. Other horsemen volunteered to ship those shirts by truck and trailer to save on shipping costs. All-in-all, everyone came together in the best way possible in such a tragic situation.

One more key moment that came from that same event was the support of the horsemen with ribbons and decorations. Horses were decorated in green ribbons for Myers’ colors. Drivers added decals to their bikes with Myers’ name and colors on them. To this day, Ronnie Wrenn Jr. sports a green band around his arm to show support for Hunter Myers – a green arm band that shined in the North America Cup winners circle as well as the Little Brown Jug and Breeders Crown winner’s circles.

Out of the spotlight, not every good deed came with a press release. Many of the most touching moments in 2025 were small acts of kindness – drivers handing out whips and high fives, trainers helping rival stables in the barn and in the paddock, and more.

There are so many to list, so many good deeds that showed the strength of the horsemen and fans. Whether it was cheering in the winner’s circle for one another like how the Charlottetown Driving Park paddock, grandstand, and barnyard emptied out for Corey MacPherson’s first win in the Gold Cup and Saucer; fist bumps on the track like Braxten Boyd and Ronnie Wrenn Jr. after their tight finish in the North America Cup; dressing up the horses in colors for designated events like Breast Cancer Awareness or holidays; and more, there was just so much to see this year.

For me, it was every time someone smiled for a photo, agreed to wear the helmet cam, or participated in some silly trend on social media. These little good deeds make big waves on social media for the betterment of the sport, in my opinion. The everyday interactions mean the most.

Together, these stories – supporting the adoption and rehoming of horses, charitable events, coming together in a time of need, and the miscellaneous good deeds in between – culminate in defining harness racing in 2025. Each and every one, mentioned and not, are reminders of the strength in numbers and overall strength of the harness racing community.