Sam Beegle, president of the Pennsylvania Harness Horsemen’s Association, today announced that the Earl Beal, Jr. Memorial Trot will be contested at Pocono Downs in 2011 and annually thereafter to honour the organization’s influential and long-serving former president
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Approximately $500,000 will be up for grabs in the three-year-old open trot final. The date has not yet been set, but eliminations will be held one week prior. Nomination fees and additional details will be released as soon as they are finalized.
“Many people in the industry, let alone fans, don’t fully realize the wide-raging impact Earl had on Pennsylvania harness racing,” said Beegle. “That was his way – quiet, low key, more interested in getting things accomplished than being recognized.”
Beal was a driving force in bringing casino gaming to Pennsylvania tracks and along with it, a new generation of potential fans. But Beegle pointed out that Beal had also “shown the way” through many challenges during the nearly thirty years he served the PHHA, 16 of those as president.
“The industry’s revitalization doesn’t begin and end with slots. It’s been a long process and Earl was there every step,” he continued, citing accomplishments like the push for simulcasting and later, off-track wagering. “I’m personally thankful he lived to see his hard work pay off. Races like this are exactly the kind of special events that build fans and raise Pennsylvania’s profile among the betting public. I think Earl would like that.”
Why a trot? “Earl loved the trotters,” Beegle said. “He was a fan himself and always put the fans first. What better way to honour the legacy of a guy who changed racing for the better?”
(PHHA)