Through its efforts in hosting and presenting a record-setting World Driving Championship this past August, Standardbred Canada has been selected as a finalist for the U.S. Harness Writers' Stan Bergstein-Proximity Award.

The Stan Bergstein Proximity Award is the highest honour bestowed by the U.S. Harness Writers Association that is voted on solely by its membership. Standardbred Canada was named a finalist along with Joe Faraldo and Hoosier Park.

The submitted biographies of the three finalists appears below. The winner of the award will be announced later this month.

2017 STAN BERGSTEIN PROXIMITY AWARD CANDIDATES

JOE FARALDO

When the $1 million Yonkers International Trot was contested on October 10, 2015, it marked the culmination of a personal quest by Joseph A. Faraldo to bring the world famous race back to the racing calendar after a two-decade absence.

Faraldo has become the ambassador for international trotting and bringing the International back to Yonkers Raceway was one of the more important items on his bucket list. That venture included trips abroad, countless hours of hard work, and mountains of red tape sliced through plus the incredible maze of details dealt with -- both here and in Europe -- associated with a complex race like the International.

The journey of bringing the International back included the “International Trot Preview” in 2014 and continued with weekly simulcasts of Yonkers races to France and other European countries, forging a strong bond of international good will, much needed expansion of revenue and a natural buildup for the race.

The fruits of Faraldo’s labour produced much sweetness for the 2017 edition of the International, as horses such as Twister Bi, Marion Marauder, Oasis Bi, and Resolve were all in behind the gate for the start of the third edition of the race since its comeback.

The ambassadorship and leadership Faraldo exhibited with the International has also been displayed in the rebirth of amateur driving in the United States. He founded the North American Amateur Drivers Association in 1980 and has been one of the driving forces in that arena for 35 years. That leadership has included the organization’s hosting of the World Cup of Amateur Driving twice (in 1988 and 2008).

A participant as well, Faraldo represented the U.S. in the competition in 1998. He also won the Billings Amateur Driving Series championship twice and has competed in hundreds of amateur races both here and abroad. One of his proudest amateur driving moments came in 2017 when he won a race at Hippodrome de Vincennes in Paris.

Currently, Faraldo serves as chairman of the United States Trotting Association’s (USTA) District 8-A. He has been a USTA director for over 20 years and served the organization as chairman for four years. He has also been president and CEO of the Standardbred Owners Association (SOA) of NY since 1980.

Faraldo was one of the driving forces behind the passage of slot legislation in New York, bringing a renaissance to the state’s racing.

A graduate of St. John’s school of law and a practicing attorney, he has spent decades championing horseman’s rights. He also argued the only case involving harness racing before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Faraldo started off in harness racing as an owner in 1966. He has received numerous honours in his career, including being selected as Harness Horseman International’s (HHI) Man of the Year in 1994 and received their Appreciation Award in 2001. He was honoured with the U.S. Harness Writers Association’s (USHWA) President’s Award in 2008. He also received the U.S. Trotting Association’s President’s Award in 2015 for his international simulcasting efforts.

HOOSIER PARK RACING & CASINO

Twenty-three years after opening in 1994, Hoosier Park Racing & Casino has stepped to the forefront in harness racing as the host track of the 2017 Breeders Crown championship events. As the site of this year’s $6 million championships, Hoosier Park is the first new venue for the Breeders Crown since Pocono Downs in 2010.

Hoosier Park opened as Indiana’s first pari-mutuel racing operation in 1994 and has since become a leader in the horse racing industry. In June of 2008, the fully renovated and newly constructed Hoosier Park Racing & Casino welcomed guests with a total investment of more than $360 million. The Indianapolis-area racetrack and casino features state-of the-art gaming, harness racing, and award-winning dining and entertainment for more than 3.5 million visitors each year.

Hoosier Park also hosts many Grand Circuit stakes, and is the site of the annual Indiana Sires Stakes Super Final night. This year’s Breeders Crown wasn’t just racing as Hoosier Park hosted several other events, including induction ceremonies for the Indiana Horse Racing Hall of Fame. A Crowning Our Heroes event honouring veterans and active service members was also held the night before the Crown eliminations. A lavish welcome reception was also on tap for the horsemen participating in the Breeders Crown finals, with guests receiving welcome bags containing Indiana products from local vendors.

Centaur Gaming, founded in 1993, owns and operates Hoosier Park Racing & Casino as well as Indiana Grand Racing & Casino. Located in Anderson, Ind., Hoosier Park has offered gaming, racing, dining, and entertainment since 2008, featuring the latest slots and electronic table games, a variety of dining venues and lounges, and both live and simulcast horse racing.

Hoosier Park Racing & Casino also had a big presence at this year’s U.S. Harness Writers Association annual Dan Patch Awards dinner in Las Vegas. Hoosier Park was the title sponsor for the dinner, which attracted an overflow crowd of more than 430 to Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino.

STANDARDBRED CANADA – WORLD DRIVING CHAMPIONSHIP

After more than a year of preparation, Standardbred Canada presented the 2017 World Driving Championship in August.

With the focus squarely on driving attendance and wagering, the event made history, packing grandstands across the country and drawing international attention. The WDC was on the front pages of sports sections around the world, spread across social media, and posted online globally, thanks to a concerted international public relations and communications plan.

Wagering broke a number of longstanding betting records, with a clear effort to promote Canada’s smaller tracks globally.

In total, $2,769,194 was bet over the five full WDC racing cards, held at Century Downs, Mohawk Racetrack, Georgian Downs, Hippodrome 3R and Red Shores Casino at Charlottetown Driving Park, between August 12 and 18, 2017. Of that total, $515,926 was wagered in Australia, and $264,913 in New Zealand.

Standardbred Canada set out to use the WDC to get Canada’s tracks out into the international market. Four of the five tracks hosting WDC races had never previously been simulcast outside of North America.

Sky Racing 1 in Australia made harness racing history, as the major network does not broadcast any harness racing on Saturday mornings (local time), making a one-time exception for the WDC.

In leg one, Century Downs recorded its highest handle ever, shattering its previous records. Georgian Downs saw it highest single card handle since 2008. At Hippodrome 3R, a shortened eight-race program saw the track’s highest average per race handle since 1999.

The fifth and final leg at Red Shores Casino at Charlottetown Driving Park, in Prince Edward Island, saw a massive total handle of $391,031. That represented a record for most money wagered in the history of Atlantic Canada on a single card of racing.

James MacDonald, a native of Prince Edward Island, was crowned by the Premier of the province of PEI in the winner’s circle. Across Canada, the event was supported by government officials, including recognition from the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, as well as the Premiers of all participating provinces, and numerous other elected officials.

(with files from USHWA)