Saratoga Hall inductees

The Saratoga Harness Hall of Fame will hold its annual Open House and Induction Ceremonies on Sunday, June 3,. as horseman Homer Harp and blacksmith Ray Smith will be inducted, along with horses Determined Chase and Dreams Are Free.

Harp was a highly respected trainer and driver known for his skill with young horses. He first raced at Saratoga Raceway in 1947 and his career at the harness track stretched to 1992. He campaigned many accomplished horses, including New York Sire Stakes winners for owners Maurice and Cecile Sullivan. He conditioned 4-year-old trotter Gay Ronnie to Saratoga Horse of the Year honors in 1976 and for his efforts was voted Trainer of the Year. He also was the trainer of back-to-back Saratoga 2-Year-Old Pacing Colt of the Year honorees Ceil’s Fella and Long Fella in 1982 and 1983, respectively.

On his 74th birthday, Harp was in the bike for one of his last driving victories and passed away less than a year later in the spring of 1993. His daughter, Diane Brower, and a number of family members will accept his honor on Sunday.

Ray Smith rose to prominence as a bank president and community leader in his native Corning, N.Y., but took an interest in shoeing horses and became a full-time blacksmith in the 1970s. He was a meticulous record-keeper on the horses he worked with and became a teacher to many apprentice farriers.

His greatest claim to fame was shoeing the Thoroughbred horse Onion before his upset of Triple Crown winner Secretariat at Saratoga Race Course. He was also on “Ripley’s Believe It Or Not” for his collection of 3,000 horseshoes.

In addition to his farrier work, Smith had a long association with the Saratoga Harness Hall of Fame and served as its treasurer and curator for many years and created much of the exhibitry.

Determined Chase was an outstanding campaigner for David and Sally Corlew of Queensbury, N.Y., and Robert Perkins of Glens Falls, N.Y. The trio purchased the pacing colt for $11,000 as a yearling and he eventually bankrolled $127,552 for the partners. After earning honors as the 2-Year-Old Pacer of the Year from U.S. Trotting Association District 8 in 1986 and Saratoga Pacer of the Year in 1987, his starts in succeeding years on the track were limited due to his health.  Determined Chase retired in 1993 with 30 victories in 52 outings to win an extraordinary 58 percent of his lifetime starts.

Dreams Are Free was a talented filly who competed as a 2- and 3-year-old to earn $275,909 for owner-trainer Nick Andreoli of Rexford, N.Y.  The filly raced on the Grand Circuit, including a start in the prestigious Hambletonian Oaks, but had her greatest success in the New York Sire Stakes. The filly scored victories in three legs of the Sire Stakes and won a New York State Fair division on her way to winning the $150,000 New York Sire Stakes Championship at Yonkers Raceway in 2000 as a sophomore. She is now a member of the Hanover Shoe Farms broodmare band in Pennsylvania and her oldest foal is a 3-year-old.

Scott Lieckert, a groom for the John Stark Jr. Stable, will be honored with the Hall of Fame’s One Hundred and Ten Percent Award for outstanding service to Saratoga harness racing.

Virginia O’Brien, the 20-year director of the Hall of Fame, will also be recognized for her long service and intense dedication to preserving the history and memory of great horses and horsemen based at Saratoga Raceway. O’Brien officially retired at the close of the 2006 season, but has been appointed to the Board of Directors and will serve as Director Emeritus.

The Saratoga Harness Hall of Fame is located at 352 Jefferson Street in front of Saratoga Gaming and Raceway. The Open House and Induction Ceremonies begin at 11 a.m. and refreshments will follow. Please contact Executive Director Dave Oxford with any questions at (518) 587-4210. (Saratoga Harness Hall of Fame)

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