Sad news faced the Standardbred racing world Thursday, Jan. 25 when the news of the shooting in State College, Pa. affected the industry. Three people were shot inside a sports bar in the Ramada Inn and one of those people was Dean Beachy, longtime auctioneer and part of the team that worked numerous Standardbred sales across the eastern portion of the United States.
Dean Beachy’s auction company sold a lot of horses to Indiana horsemen over the years. (Photo by Blooded Horse Sale Company)
Beachy, a native of Millersburg, Ohio, was a well-known figure around the sales ring. His company, Dean Beachy and Associates, Auctioneers, handled all the Blooded Horse Sales in Ohio and he worked as a bid spotter for Tattersalls and the Standardbred Horse Sales Company. He owned numerous horses over the years and also dabbled in driving and training. As a trainer, he had just raced two horses at Northfield Park on Wednesday, Jan. 23. He mainly dealt in trotters and even drove at several of the Ohio fairs last year.
Because of his involvement with sales, Beachy bought and sold horses to many area horsemen. He also provided his voice to many types of sales in the Amish community and for other horse breeds.
The shooting at the hotel’s sports bar made national news Thursday evening. According to reports from WHTM TV in State College, Pa., which is near Penn State University, the gunman shot three in the bar before driving to a nearby home where he broke in and shot and killed the homeowner before turning the gun on himself.
According to a report released Friday afternoon, Beachy’s son, Steve, was also one of the people shot at the sports bar and passed away as a result of his injuries Friday. The Beachys were in the area to work a horse sale.
The 62-year-old Beachy and his son, Steve, 19, will be greatly missed from the entire Standardbred racing industry. Condolences are sent from the Standardbred family in Indiana to Beachy’s family and friends.