The Michigan Harness Horsemen’s Association has announced the 2022-3 Hall of Fame equine inductees and Lifetime Achievement Award winners.
The horses being added to the Hall of Fame are Night Pro (pictured above) and Manhardt.
Night Pro, a 13-year-old son of Pro Bono Best out of Midnight Jewel, is being inducted into the Michigan Harness Racing Hall of Fame. With career starts totaling 199, Night Pro boasts 75 wins, 47 seconds and 15 thirds while accumulating purse earnings of $1,034,844. He established his lifetime mark at Hoosier Park of 1:49 and established track records at Hoosier Park and Northville Downs. At Northville, he still holds the record for an aged pacing horse of 1:52.1.
Dale Decker purchased Night Pro as a yearling for $14,000 and he still owns and trains the horse today. Night Pro began breeding to mares in 2019 in Indiana and has sired foals in both Indiana and Michigan. As a three-year-old, Night Pro won a $200,000 Indiana Gold Sires Stakes and had 12 wins (eight of them being consecutive wins that year). As a four-year-old, he was second in the Battle of Lake Erie beating out the likes of Foiled Again and he was third in the Jim Ewart Memorial — both Grand Circuit events.
The Myers family and Michigan lost a great one during 2022 and he will be forever loved and missed. The late, great Manhardt was a son of Western Ideal who sired horses in Michigan and Ohio. He has produced many great horses, with some of the best being Stride of Pride, 1:49.3 earning $458,509; Iwillmakeyousaywow, 1:49.3 earning $445,643; and a few others like Hash Tag Swag, Girllookatthatbody, Libbys Idea, Vicious Circle, My Tweed Heart, Ogradys First Man, Ask Me If I Care, and Man Dont Forget Me. He sired a total of 71 foals, with 44 taking 2:00 records, 23 foals in 1:55 and total earnings in excess of $5.3 million. Manhardt’s legacy will live on in his mares’ production of future foals. Manhardt will be posthumously inducted into the Michigan Harness Racing Hall of Fame.
The 2022-3 Lifetime Achievement Award winners are Gene Miller, Richard Niccum and Judy Roegner.
Gene Miller is considered one of Michigan’s best gentleman horsemen. He will help anyone at any time and is always on the road, traveling all over the country from California, to the Meadowlands, Florida, Minnesota and seemingly everywhere in-between. He has traveled millions of miles and made friends in a lifetime of racing. He has had some great horses over the years. Even though he travels often, his roots are forever in Michigan as he has a farm / home base there. Gene boasts trainer stats of 4,276 starts, 776 wins and earnings of $2,867,890, and he turns 79 on January 23.
Richard Niccum is best known as Michigan’s tattoo man as he held that position for several years working for the USTA. He has worked for several trainers, including Allen Tomlinson, Jeff Cotton, and Linda Main. He has trained and drove a few of his own horses. Everyone knows Richie and Richie knows everyone, and he has dedicated his life to the harness racing industry. For that we recognize Richie with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Judy Roegner, like Gene Miller, has a birthday on January 23. Adopted by Albert and Lillian Schlaufman, Judy still resides in Croswell, Michigan. She’s a deeply-rooted, family oriented person, raising her family of three children, Nathan, Meredith, Jessica and granddaughter Anna on the farm in Croswell while working and racing her horses and taking care of her farm. She got her first horse — Quick Clipper — from industry great Bea Farber and was hooked on harness racing since. She’s worked for Maurice "Bucky" Goldschmidt and then Joe Konen before going out on her own. She’s raced in Michigan and all over Canada, among other locales. She's a hard worker, amazing mother and friend. It would be hard to find someone that's met her that doesn't love her. She is a true ‘Jill of all trades’ who can do it all including train, shoe, and even drive. She now has a small breeding farm and will train down a few horses every year before sending them to race. Her success led to some great horses like Johnny G That Me, who was a favourite, Promise Me Romance and Welding Spark D, who made his way to race in Open competition. Judy presently has a few broodmares in foal and loves to raise the babies. She boasts trainer stats of 4,251 starts, 679 wins and earnings in excess of $3 million in her career.
The Michigan Harness Horsemen’s Association will celebrate the achievements of Standardbred horsemen, women and horses during the 2022 racing season and honour the Michigan Harness Racing Hall of Fame inductees during the 2023 annual banquet and awards ceremony on Saturday (Jan. 21) at Crystal Gardens in Howell, Michigan starting with the MHHA board meeting at 5 p.m. with awards ceremonies to begin at 7 p.m.
(Michigan Harness Horsemen’s Association)