The U.S. Harness Writers Association (USHWA) has announced that a three-year agreement has been reached with Caesars Entertainment to sponsor the annual Dan Patch Awards banquet, which honours the year’s best equines and humans in harness racing.

The 2026 Dan Patch Awards banquet, presented by Caesars Entertainment honouring the best in harness racing this year, will be held Sunday night, Feb. 22, at Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando, Florida. This will mark the fifth year in a row that Caesars Entertainment will be the title sponsor for the awards banquet.

Caesars operates three harness racing venues in the United States: Harrah’s Hoosier Park in Indiana, Harrah’s Philadelphia in Pennsylvania and Scioto Downs in Ohio, the host racetrack for the 2026 Breeders Crown championship races.

“Caesars Entertainment is proud to extend our partnership as the title sponsor of the Dan Patch Awards banquet for the next three years,” said Joe Morris, senior vice president of racing for Caesars. “We are excited to keep celebrating excellence in the sport and continue a great year-end tradition.”

“I can’t express enough gratitude to Caesars Entertainment for their long-term commitment to USHWA and the Dan Patch Awards,” said Michael Carter, USHWA president. “We are also thrilled that the Dan Patch festivities will be returning to the elegant Rosen Shingle Creek not only in 2026, but in 2027 as well.”

All award winners will be announced in advance except for Dan Patch Pacer of the Year, Trotter of the Year and Horse of the Year, which will be revealed the night of the banquet. USHWA will hold its annual directors’ meeting on Saturday, Feb. 21, with its general membership meeting the morning of the banquet.

Located just off Universal Boulevard, within 10 minutes of the Orlando International Airport and minutes from the many area attractions, the 1,500-room Rosen Shingle Creek is a five-star property that is ranked a top-20 U.S. meeting hotel by Cvent.

Dinner ticket prices and menu will be announced later, with a reduced price for children 12 and under. All standard rooms under the USHWA block are $209 USD per night (plus applicable taxes). For room reservations, use USHWA’s dedicated hotel link, which can also be found at the USHWA website usharnesswriters.com. Attendees can also contact the Rosen Shingle Creek reservations department directly at 866-996-6338 or 407-996-6338 and ask for the Dan Patch Awards/USHWA rate.

To inquire about sponsorship opportunities for the weekend, including live video streaming and the Red Carpet reception, contact USHWA president Michael Carter at [email protected] or USHWA Sponsorship Committee chairman Shawn Wiles at [email protected].

The United States Harness Writers Association is the leading group of communicators about the Standardbred horse. USHWA conducts the official annual balloting for the sport's most prestigious honors: induction to the U.S. Hall of Fame and Communicators Hall of Fame, along with the selection of the Dan Horse of the Year, Trotter and Pacer of the Year, and the leading divisional horses of each season. Each year USHWA hosts the Dan Patch Awards Banquet, honouring the best and brightest performers in North American harness racing. This banquet is the Association’s principal source of funding, and with generous financial support from the harness racing and breeding industry, USHWA is able to host the banquet at a world-class facility in a world-class manner.

(United States Harness Writers Association)