Harness: Profile of trainer Vernon Beachy

It's back! Following a six month layoff, On The Backstretch returns for the 304th Q&A and we've tabbed one of the hottest trainers in the sport, Vernon Beachy.

At 38 years old, Beachy is fast approaching his career-best in wins for a season and has already doubled his best year in earnings. He is a native of Dover, Delaware, who concentrates on Ohio and western Pennsylvania,

On the day he had to scratch three horses from the $300,000 Pennsylvania Sire Stakes finals and just a handful of nights from racing a number in the $300,000 Ohio Championships, Beachy took the time to discuss his path in the sport from an Amish upbringing to a football-loving trainer having a career year. Enjoy!

How did you get started in harness racing?

I started when I was a teenager. I worked at a farm where Henry Westbrook Jr. trained a couple horses. They hired me as a farm man. That was in Richfield Springs, New York. I was Amish and grew up around Standardbreds, so I was familiar with them.

You were born in Dover, Delaware, how did you end up in New York?

My parents moved to Richfield Springs when I was 14, I think. We lived there for a few years. And that's where I got my start in horse racing and I raced primarily at Saratoga.

You mentioned being born Amish. What made you leave that lifestyle?

I left the Amish community in 2000, and I think it was like 11 when I left, but I I got a taste of racing horses and that kind of ended me wanting to ever be Amish. My whole family is still Amish and they moved back to Dover, Delaware.

You have training stats dating back to 2011, but seem to have branched out in 2020. What changed that year?

So I was at Saratoga. It's a small place with a lot of families that have been there for years. It was hard to get started there. I always had a couple horses. I liked to buy trotters that made breaks off the Amish truck and tinkered with her shoes. That's what got me started with the trotters. I always wanted to get bigger and the Midwest seemed like the place that had the most opportunities for a young trainer. So after COVID, I packed up and moved out to Burton, Ohio. So it just kind of took off from there.

Was it hard to go somewhere new and start fresh?

I think I knew like three people. I knew Chris Lems and Jordan Hope. Chris Lems used to come to Saratoga and drive a little bit in the wintertime, and from Vernon Downs, I knew him a little bit. I came out here one day and looked at farms and I ran into him at the farm. He told me, 'You can race as much as you possibly want to out here. Sometimes you just have to give your horses a week off because you can't race them every week.'

Allegiant brought you into the spotlight in 2023 and 2024. What were you thinking when you saw she went a mile-rate of 1:48 in Sweden this year to become the world's fastest trotter?

I was surprised but I wasn't. She's a really good horse and I think people knew that before. I was proud of her for sure.

You've been successful for years but have really picked up the pace in 2026 with a 36% win rate while more than doubling your best yearly earnings. Did you just get lucky with the right horses?

Yeah, pretty much. Every year you set eyes on a new standard, a new goal. As you do better – obviously Allegiant was a big part of that – people notice you more. It allows you to purchase more babies, and the more young horses you get to buy, the better your chances are. This year, we were lucky enough to hit on quite a few of those that are really nice horses.That boosts everything.

Your stats are so good that someone on X called you the Amish Melander. What do you think of that nickname?

That's kind of funny. We had fun with it. I mean, it's a good comparison, I guess, right?

Are you even a little surprised with how well you've done this year?

Oh, for sure, yeah. Every year you set a goal for yourself, and my goal this year was I was hoping to make $1,000,000. So yeah, it has definitely been a much better year than I had expected.

You've done some driving and amassed 45 wins in 179 starts from 2021 to 2023. Why did you stop driving?

I drove at the fairs and I don't do the fairs much anymore at all. And if I do, I have a second trainer, Steve Byler. That's what he wants to do, so I let him drive at the fairs if we do go. It's just not my thing. I enjoy getting the young horses, breaking them, watching them develop, and driving is not really my thing.

What is your favorite track to race at and why?

I like The Meadows. It's a really good surface, good people to race with, and they write nice classes for young horses.

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What is your favorite thing to do outside of harness racing?

I'm big football fan.

What's your favorite team?

Green Bay Packers.

How does a kid from Dover, Delaware, who lived in New York end up a Green Bay Packers fan?

When I first left the Amish, I had cable TV, TV in the house was new. So, we're going to have all the new stuff that we could possibly get and my buddy was a Cowboys fan and he didn't have cable TV at the time. So he asked me if he could come over and watch the game. That was the first game I ever watched. Randall Cobb made an unbelievable play down in the middle of the field and it's still one of the highlight plays that they show quite a bit. That's the day I became a Green Bay Packers fan and a Dallas Cowboy hater.

What is one word that describes harness racing for you?

Exciting.

What was your best moment in harness racing?

I would have to say it wasn't a final, but winning the Hambletonian Oaks elimination. Being able to race on Hambletonian Day, that was the highlight. Even if it didn't end the way I would like, it was like a dream come true to be there. Now I need to go out and win one.

Who is your favorite horse in the barn?

Surreal Ideal. He's been a great horse for us, surprising, really. We didn't buy him thinking he could be anything close to what he is now.

You have a boatload of finalists set for Ohio Champions night at Scioto on September 12. Which two have the best chance of winning?

Debt Free and Made For More.

Which horse are you most excited about for the future?

Those [I just mentioned] could be interesting. Walks The Fire is a very underachieving colt to this point. I still think he's going to surprise at some point. If not this year, he could potentially come back to be really nice to be 3-year-old.

In addition to owning yourself, you have other owners. How grateful are you for them?

Without the owners, the grooms, second trainers...none of this is possible without everyone, the whole team. There's no "I" in team. Linda Toscano used to tell me that all the time when I sent Allegiant out to her.

If you had the power to change one thing in the sport, what would it be?

Maybe I shouldn't even say it, but race officials, racetrack managers should be held accountable the same way as us trainers are. Meaning if they run a race late or anything like that, that's no problem. But if we are one minute late for Lasix, we get scratched, we get fined. That's something that I would change.

How do you view the future of harness racing?

It looks scary right now with what's going on out east. And if that can happen to them out there, like what's happening at the Meadowlands, it could happen here.

It's a great sport. And it's not just the trainers, it's breeders, owners. It's just a lot of people employed by our agriculture with racehorses. And if that goes away, it's a big void in the whole country.

What is going to be your goal for next year?

I don't know. I want to win more. I want to win one of these [Ohio Sire Stakes] finals [this year]. Everything has to fall into place. As you see, we've had a great year and we've swept multiple legs and Sire Stakes in one night at some places, but everything has to go perfect to win a final. They are hard to win.

You had to scratch three out of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes finals today due to sickness. That has to hurt?

Yeah, it's hard to do. I would say probably three years ago, two years ago, it would have been a lot harder. It makes it a lot easier this year because I've had a better year and the owners are more willing to let you do what you need to do. It was the right thing for the horse. If we raced, maybe we could've been fourth or fifth, but it is going to hurt the horse long term.

Time for the stretch drive:

Best Horse you ever saw: Muscle Hill as a 3-year-old.

Lasix - Yes or No: Yes.

Favorite TV Show: Two and a Half Men.

Trotters or Pacers: Trotters. They are just more fun; more of a challenge.