We are sad to report that Stanley F. Bergstein, a member of Harness Racing’s Living Hall of Fame and longtime executive vice president of Harness Tracks of America, passed away peacefully at home at 4 a.m. this morning, Nov. 2, 2011. Bergstein held a tremendous passion for making horse racing – both harness and Thoroughbred – a better game.

His presence and his innovations were a dominant force in harness racing for the past half-century.

In the past decade, he has been known for his unwavering quest to restore integrity in harness racing and to eradicate the scourge of illegal drugs that stained the sport’s reputation. While others wavered on the subject of integrity and looked to shrug off the subject, Bergstein was steadfast in his comments. He became harness racing’s “Mr Integrity.”

10 more Stanley Bergsteins, and harness racing would be a vastly different and better industry today. Read more about Stan’s Life.