On Friday, Jan. 12 the Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame announced the results of recent balloting to determine the 2024 inductees into harness racing’s Living Horse Hall of Fame.
Museum members voted for the four horses they felt best exemplified greatness. Racehorses Gimpanzee, Mission Brief, Tall Dark Stranger and Wiggle It Jiggleit were elected and will be inducted on Hall of Fame Day, Sunday, July 7, 2024. The ceremonies honouring these extraordinary Standardbred horses will take place during the Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame’s annual dinner.
Standardbreds are eligible for nomination to harness racing’s highest accolade only if they comply with criteria as noted on the Museum’s website, harnessmuseum.com.
GIMPANZEE 4,1:50 ($2,792,478)
The 2020 Trotter of the Year in the U.S. and world champion Gimpanzee compiled a career record of 34-25-2-3 while earning $2,792,478. He was voted 2018 Two-Year-Old Trotting Colt of the Year in the U.S. and 2020 Dan Patch Trotter of the Year and Older Trotting Horse of the Year. Gimpanzee became only the fifth trotter to win three Breeders Crown trophies and only the third horse to win the Breeders Crown at two, three and four – Peace Corps and Mack Lobell being the others.
MISSION BRIEF 3,1:50.2f ($1,657,399)
The fastest two-year-old trotter in history, world champion Mission Brief has a lifetime race record of 27-19-3-0. She established her still-standing 1:50.3 world record in a 16-length International Stallion Stakes victory at The Red Mile. She was voted 2014 Dan Patch Two-Year-Old Trotting Filly of the Year and 2015 Dan Patch and O’Brien Three-Year-Old Trotting Filly of the Year.
TALL DARK STRANGER p,3,1:47.1 ($2,365,549)
The U.S. Horse of the Year in 2020, Tall Dark Stranger won 19 of 22 starts and earned more than $2 million. He was voted Two-Year-Old Pacing Colt of the Year in both the United States and Canada in 2019, and Dan Patch 2020 Horse of the Year, Pacer of the Year and Three-Year-Old Pacer of the Year. Tall Dark Stranger is the only horse to win the Metro Pace and Breeders Crown at two, and the North America Cup and Meadowlands Pace at three.
WIGGLE IT JIGGLEIT p,4,1:47.2 ($4,091,164)
World champion and 2015 Dan Patch Horse of the Year Wiggle It Jiggleit is the sixth-richest Standardbred of all time. He had one win in just one start as a two-year old in 2014, but in his 2015 sophomore year he won his first 10 consecutive starts on his way to victory in 22 out of 26. Wiggle It Jiggleit’s Little Brown Jug is considered by many to be one of the greatest horse races of all time. He was voted 2015 Dan Patch Horse of the Year, Pacer of the Year and Three-Year-Old Pacing Colt of the Year, and picked up an O'Brien Award as Older Pacing Horse of the Year in 2016.
This year’s Hall of Fame festivities will also include the inductions of Jim Campbell, Ed Lohmeyer and David McDuffee to the Hall of Fame, and Tim Bojarski and Dave Brower to the Communicators Hall of Fame. For information on Hall of Fame Weekend, visit harnessmuseum.com from April 2024 onward or call or write the Museum at 240 Main Street, Goshen, NY 10924, email [email protected] or call 845-294-6330.
(Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame)