The Indiana Standardbred Association (ISA) was well represented this year at the annual Dan Patch Awards honoring the sport’s top performers of 2021. The event, held at Rosen Shingle Creek resort in Orlando, Fla., was held Sunday, Feb. 20 and was presented by the U.S. Harness Writers Association (USHWA).
Tony Renz, executive director of ISA, and Sarah Conrad, ISA board member, are shown with Jessica Outten, who received the Lew Barasch Breakthrough Award during the annual Dan Patch Awards Banquet in Florida Sunday, Feb. 20.
Tony Renz, executive director of the ISA, and Sarah Conrad, ISA board member, both attended the event. ISA was a sponsor during the evening’s celebration.
“It was nice to hear the ISA mentioned multiple times as a sponsor,” said Conrad. “I think it’s important for our organization to be represented on a larger scale.”
Although no Indiana sired horses won any year-end awards, several of them competed at Harrah’s Hoosier Park recently, including Horse of the Year Test of Faith, a daughter of Art Major who won the $220,000 Kentuckiana Stakes at Hoosier Park in 2020.
Several Indiana sired horses received votes in the national race for awards. Dover in Motion received two votes for two-year-old trotting colt and Hot Mess Express received two in the three-year-old pacing filly division.
An Indiana chapter of USHWA was formed a few years ago, and members of the local organization were active in voting for the year end award winners. The local chapter, headed by President James Platz, has provided assistance for several events, including attending the annual Dan Patch Festival and Parade at Oxford, Ind. last fall. The local chapter has also provided support to racing with the compilation of track records for all the stops on the Indiana Sired Fair Circuit.
In addition to the year end winners, the new class of Hall of Fame inductees were recognized, including Chris Boring, Indiana native, and Ron Burke, who has multiple leading trainer titles to his credit from Harrah’s Hoosier Park. Hall of Fame inductions will be at Goshen, NY in July.