Harness: Brittany Farms receives USHWA's President's Award

One of harness racing’s storied and most prestigious breeding farms, Brittany Farms, has been selected by the President of the United States Harness Writers Association (USHWA), Michael Carter, to receive a President’s Award.

Brittany Farms, located in Kentucky, ceased operations as a premier breeding facility at the end of 2024 following the sale of its final crop of yearlings, but it will continue to use the “Brittany Farms” name on any horses with which owner and Hall of Famer George Segal stays involved (Segal acquired the Clermont Farms property of Bill Shehan in 1985 and has operated it as Brittany since). It also will be associated with the farm’s final few crops of racehorses, continuing its longstanding tradition of quality.

Brittany’s success is well-documented in the annals of the sport. Brittany (in 2019 and 2020 named by USHWA as Breeder of the Year since the award was opened to voter selection in 2012) and Hanover Shoe Farms (the winner of the 2024 Breeder award) have been locked in a contest for the top spot of Breeders Crown winners bred for years. It has produced 47 millionaires on the racetrack; among the top horses associated with Brittany have been Artsplace, Manchego, Art Major, Bettor’s Wish, and Passionate Glide.

“Brittany Farms has long been one of the sport’s top breeding farms,” USHWA president Carter said.

“Segal, along with his team headed by Art Zubrod, Leah Cheverie, and Myron Bell, not only breed champions, but they give back to the sport and the community in other ways. Brittany Farms has been a huge supporter of the Harness Horse Youth Foundation (HHYF) and many other industry initiatives, while Zubrod and Cheverie have been an integral part of the USHWA Caretaker of the Year Award.

“Brittany’s constant community outreach and support of the industry as a whole are part of the many reasons why Brittany Farms has become respected throughout the entire Standardbred breeding and racing industry,” concluded Carter.

Brittany Farms will be recognized at the 2024 Dan Patch Awards Banquet, presented by Caesars Entertainment, which will honor the best of the best of harness racing, both human and equine. The Banquet will be held on Sunday, February 23, 2025 at the Rosen Centre in Orlando, Florida. Sponsorship information for the Banquet can be obtained from Shawn Wiles at swiles@rwcatskills.com; advertising in the souvenir Journal can be arranged through Kim Rinker at trotrink@aol.com; tickets through Judy Davis-Wilson, zoe8874@aol.com; for room reservations, click on this hotel link. More information about the Banquet and associated USHWA meetings that weekend will soon be available at www.usharnesswriters.com.

-release (U.S. Harness Writers Association)