Bill Brown to receive Bruce Hamilton Memorial Medial from HHBNYS

William S. "Bill" Brown has been selected by Harness Horse Breeders of New York State as the second annual recipient of the Bruce Hamilton Memorial Medal. This award recognizes outstanding contributions to harness horse racing and improvements of the breeding of Standardbred horses in the State of New York.

Brown is peerless among the ranks of farm managers in the sport of harness racing. His talent and dedication to managing stallions, broodmares, yearlings and offering outstanding service to his customers helped transform the Kimelman Family's then fledgling Blue Chip Farms in Wallkill, N.Y., into an internationally competitive Standardbred nursery.

A native of Lebanon, Ohio, Brown’s grandfather was a Standardbred trainer and introduced him to the sport. As a teenager he would train horses with several notable horsemen, including Hall of Fame Immortal Fred Egan. But in 1950 he began working for Frank Ervin, a Hall of Famer who promoted Brown to assistant trainer for much of the latter half of the decade.

Ervin later recommended Brown for the farm manager position at Castleton Farms, one of the powerhouse breeding farms of the day. He left the Grand Circuit and settled with his wife Lydia and new family at the Lexington, Ky., nursery and studied pedigrees and breeding management until he excelled at it. He remained at the farm for just over 12 years.

In what was then considered a surprise move, Brown left Castleton to join Blue Chip Farms in 1971, the same year that Triple Crown champion Most Happy Fella started his stallion career there. The combination of Brown's skill and Most Happy Fella's outstanding success in the breeding shed quickly pushed the farm into the spotlight.

Brown served the rest of his career at the helm of Blue Chip Farms as farm manager and later added the title of Vice President. He was noted not only for his expertise, but for his willingness to share his knowledge with others. His honesty, dedication to excellence, and passion for the sport of harness racing distinguished him in New York State and beyond. His contributions helped to establish New York as a state with produce that could compete against the world.

Brown was elected into both the Harness Racing Hall of Fame in Goshen, N.Y., and the Ohio Harness Racing Hall of Fame in 1997. Among many other honors in his career, Brown was also recognized by the Harness Horse Youth Foundation as its Service to Youth Award recipient in 1996.

The Bruce Hamilton Memorial Medal is given to an individual who bests exhibits Hamilton's exemplary qualities of character and accomplishment in the harness racing industry. Hamilton served as the Executive Secretary of Harness Horse Breeders of New York State for 18 years. During that time he managed the New York Sire Stakes program masterfully and was able to unite the racing and breeding industries to successfully lobby for VLTs at tracks.

The Bruce Hamilton Memorial Medal will be presented to Mr. Brown at The Agriculture And NYS Horse Breeding Development Fund /USTA District 8 awards dinner on Oct. 19 at the Harness Racing Museum and Hall of Fame. (HHBNYS)

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