Harness: Honoring this weekend's Hall of Fame enshrinees

This Sunday evening (starting at 5 P.M. EDT) four distinguished men will be enshrined in the Harness Racing Hall of Fame. From various backgrounds but unified in one cause, the quartet have been the bloodlines literally and figuratively that have kept the sport lively for generations passed and onward. Marvin Katz, David Reid, Dr. John Egloff and Michael Kimelman have stood the test of time and devoted their attention towards the future of the Standardbred sport.

That none of the four individuals entering the pantheon in Goshen, New York, was a trainer or driver of horses is worth noting. What it represents is an understanding that the product - our racehorses - are the culmination of the work done by those that never sit in the sulky before, during or after a race. Without breeders, without owners, without veterinarians or without a consistent marketplace, there would be no consistent direction for the sport to function.

Over the years, Marvin Katz has shown a true commitment to the sport that started as a fan and turned into ownership and breeding. There's no question that quality was always more important to Katz than quantity, with a goal to buy or develop the best horses he could. Over the years what was compelling about Katz as a foundational breeder in the sport, predominantly on the trotting side, was how often he complimented others responsible for the success of his horses. Katz sought out the expertise in others to acquire horses with the best pedigree and conformation. He was an investor that recognized what he was successful at and credited those that helped build the foundation for an exemplary broodmare band that produced champions.

Over the last few years, it was notable that Katz led many charitable causes, devoting his time and energy to the benefit of the industry and beyond.

Partnerships were part of Katz's success story, with Al Libfeld and Sam Goldband sharing ownership in both the breeding and racing business. That those relationships lasted decades is notable, and perhaps the value of what was built was best revealed in the seven-figure purchase prices paid when a partnership was dissolved in 2025.

David Reid finds a well-deserved spot in the Hall of Fame through years of hard work, determination and the ability to adapt and anticipate the direction of the industry. With his late partner in the business, Geoff Stein, Reid helped guide Preferred Equine as a force in agency and auctions, mostly in the New York-New Jersey area. When Stein passed in 2012, Reid had the vision to see the future. Kentucky had competing sales companies fighting for customers in the lucrative yearling market. Inevitably, Reid and others managed to move towards a single entity now known as the Lexington Selected Sale, an auction that continues to grow to this day.

As an agency, Preferred Equine has been responsible for many significant stallion syndications, and its acquired knowledge has helped forge relationships in North America and overseas.

Reid is a trustee of the Harness Racing Museum/Hall of Fame and a director of the Hambletonian Society. He has also been an integral supporter of the Standardbred Transitional Alliance and the Harness Horse Youth Foundation.

Reid enjoyed tremendous success as well as a co-owner of the international champion Moni Maker, a winner of $5.5 million.

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Dr. John (Tad) Egloff arrives in Goshen through a career that took off with a veterinarian position at Lana Lobell Farms of New Jersey for Alan Leavitt. The Garden State nursery became a force with top broodmares and stallions such as Speedy Somolli on the trotting side and No Nukes on the pacing side. At Lana Lobell, Egloff worked closely with Hall of Famers Leavitt, Jim Harrison and Hal Jones, a team that made the farm one of the most-impactful during a period of tremendous growth.

Egloff would branch out later to open his own farm Vieux Carre Farm near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and worked alongside two Pennsylvania breeding institutions - Hanover Shoe Farms and Hempt Farms - to advance the breed. Such greats like Pine Chip and Always B Miki have been associated with the farm, as well as one-time Broodmare of the Year Babe Ruthless, dam of the $2 million winner Total Truth, the 2006 North America Cup champion.

Dr. Egloff is a member of the Pennsylvania Horse Breeding Commission and vice-president of the Standardbred Breeders of Pennsylvania, as well as a director of the Hambletonian Society.

Michael G. Kimelman entered the breeding business along with his father and brother in the early 1970's with the purchase of property in Wallkill, New York, that would eventually become Blue Chip Farm, a name that reflected Kimelman's Wall Street investment background. Blue Chip Farm's stallion Most Happy Fella must be credited in a major way for helping to establish the fledgling New York Sire Stakes program at the time. Blue Chip's impact through its popular stallion helped turn the focus in the Standardbred sport to the region.

Wall Street types would emerge following in Kimelman's footsteps years later, as investors sought to capitalize on the growing value of yearlings through the Meadowlands structured $1 million races for 2-year-olds.

Michael G. Kimelman has served on the board of the Hambletonian Society since 1987.

The writer's corner of the Hall of Fame will welcome both Derick Giwner and Ellen Taylor to its wing this year.

Giwner has earned a spot with his high level of activity in helping to promote the sport on various fronts. As the editor of DRF Harness, Giwner is keenly aware of the betting aspect of the sport and has often been consulted on ways to help broaden wagering on the sport's races. His capacity to listen to all sides has helped give a forum to a broad range of people that help influence the sport.

Giwner captured the 2020, 2023 and 2025 Hervey Award given by the United States Harness Writers Association for his written works.

Ellen Taylor is the Executive Director of the Harness Horse Youth Foundation, a group she has led for over 30 years. The Foundation's purpose is to introduce young people to harness racing through a hands-on involvement with horses.

Taylor has been a force behind the group's establishing summer camps in association with racetracks and horseman's groups. A recent electee into the Indiana Harness Racing Hall of Fame, Taylor earned USHWA's prestigious Stan Bergstein Proximity Award in 2009 for her dedication to the sport's future.