Once again, the United States Harness Writers Association and the United States Trotting Association have teamed up to provide every racing fan with the opportunity to vote for their favourite people and events from the world of harness racing from this past year

. Everyone has a chance to express their opinions on who they believe was the best horseperson of the year and the best racing moment of 2010.

The people and events you choose can be from any track in North America as all the votes are 'write-in,' meaning you tell us who you want, rather than selecting from a list we provide.

Voting will run through January 31 at 11:59 p.m. and the awards will be presented during the Dan Patch Awards Night of Champions presented by USHWA and held at the Fort Lauderdale Marriott in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Sunday, February 27, 2011. You can cast your vote through a link on the USTA homepage or at ushwa.org.

Everybody who votes will automatically be entered into a drawing to become a part of the Dan Patch Awards. One grand prize winner will be randomly selected from all voters, and that winner will receive two tickets to the USHWA Night of Champions Banquet and the honour of making the award presentations themselves. There will be three runner-ups drawn so that in the event the grand prize winner cannot attend, we will notify those runner-up's (in the order drawn) that they have the opportunity to receive this prize. The prize constitutes admission for two to the banquet only. Transportation and lodging expenses are the sole responsibility of the winner.

Last year, Fran Azur was named horseperson of the year for his support of the Barton, Vermont Fair. He not only provided funding for purses and promotions, he also shipped in two of his best horses for a match race along with their trainer Kevin McDermott and drivers Tim Tetrick and Brian Sears.

The racing moment of the year went to Muscle Hill’s Hambletonian. Muscle Hill exhibited such a dominating performance in that trotting classic that it received almost 40 per cent of the votes cast.

The NFL, MLB, and NHL all have fan voting which decides who plays in their all star games. But none of them allow the voters to become part of the game. Here is your chance to select your stars and get in the action yourself. So vote today!

(USHWA)