Dave Briggs has been appointed to a four-year term on the United States Harness Writers Association's Screening Committee, which selects North American luminaries of the sport to be considered for enshrinement in the U.S. Hall of Fame in Goshen, New York.
Briggs, 56, is a member of the U.S. Communicators Hall of Fame, as selected by USHWA in 2017, and also voted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 2025. The resident of Port Stanley, Ont. brings more than 30 years of reporting on the Standardbred sport to the Screening Committee, earning a well-deserved reputation for credibility, high standards, dedication and fairness in his coverage of the sport.
Briggs, a graduate of Windsor University (B.A.) and Western University (M.A.), is the editor of the Harness Racing Update, which provides online in-depth coverage of the Standardbred sport on a basic twice-a-week schedule. Prior to joining HRU, he spent almost two decades at the Canadian Sportsman magazine, working his way up to the editor of the respected journal. Briggs has written for many of harness racing’s leading publications and he also has knowledgeably contributed to a number of Thoroughbred media outlets. He is currently the Communications and Content Specialist at Ontario Racing.
Briggs is the all-time leader in communications awards given annually by USHWA, with all 12 of his honours in the John Hervey Award writing categories – four for news/commentary and eight for features. Among his nearly 30 awards for writing about horse racing are also four Standardbred Canada Media Excellence Awards.
"I'm thrilled about appointing Dave Briggs to USHWA’s Screening Committee," said Heather Vitale, president of USHWA. “He knows the sport inside and out, cares about its history and brings a thoughtful and honest perspective to the table – exactly what you want when it comes to honouring the best in harness racing.”
Chapters of USHWA nominate candidates for the Hall of Fame each spring and these nominees are reviewed on the first Sunday in July during meetings at the Goshen Hall, when Briggs will be seated. One nominee in the Veteran category is named to the Hall directly from these meetings; active participants in the sport are evaluated and then a select group is named by the Committee to appear on a summer ballot, where they require 75 per cent of the yes-no vote from electors to become the newest class of the Hall. The term of Screening Committee members was changed from six to four years at February’s annual USHWA meetings, to constantly bring fresh perspectives to the Committee.
(With files from USHWA; photo of Dave Briggs [right] receiving his 2022 Media Excellence Award)