Virginia O'Brien, the first woman elected to harness racing's Communicators Hall of Fame, passed away Saturday in her beloved Saratoga Springs, New York. She was 91

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O'Brien assisted and helped develop generations of publicists, writers, and racetrack executives while working in various capacities at Saratoga Harness (as it was then known) earlier in her career; later, she rightfully achieved fame as the Curator of the Saratoga Harness Hall of Fame, which was chock-full of pictures, memorabilia, and writings, all maintained by O'Brien to create a level of museum usually associated with the topmost level of sports organizations, and not the modest Saratoga Harness enterprise - such was her skill, which earned her her own national Hall of Fame honours in 2006.

A viewing will be held Wednesday evening from 4:00-7:00 at the Burke Funeral Home in Saratoga Springs. The funeral will be held at 9:30 a.m. Thursday at St Mary's Church on Thompson Street in nearby Ballston Spa, NY.

Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the family and friends of Virginia O’Brien.