Harness Horsemen International's annual meetings got underway Monday (March 2) at the Embassy Suites Deerfield Beach Resort & Spa, Deerfield Beach, Fla.
Tom Luchento, HHI president, opened the March 2 general session with welcoming remarks to the group of harness racing association members from the United States and Canada.
After association member reports and HHI business topics were discussed, a lengthy and lively discourse followed concerning racing commission issues and frustrations on the perception of whipping and kicking at North American raceways.
Keynote speaker Dr. Mary Robinson of the University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center, Chester, Pa., will present ‘Equine Drug Testing in the 21st Century’ during Tuesday's general session beginning at 9 a.m. HHI committees will later convene to deliberate insurance, finance, legal, convention and foundation issues.
HHI elections and committee reports are the highlight of Wednesday's general session, starting at 9 a.m., followed by the HHI awards luncheon at 12:30 p.m., during which harness racing's Gene Oldford, Jerry Knappenberger and Derick Giwner will be feted with HHI's top honours of 2014.
Oldford, an HHI past president, is the 2014 Dominic Frinzi Person of the Year; Knappenberger, former GM of the Ohio Harness Horsemen's Association, will accept the 2014 HHI Appreciation Award; and Giwner, the Daily Racing Form's harness racing editor and writer, is the 2014 Clyde Hirt Media Award winner.
(HHI)