Westfall graduate Hunter Myers passes away following racing accident at The Meadows
Hunter Myers, 27, passed away Thursday morning (March 20) as the result of injuries sustained in a racing accident Wednesday (March 19) at Hollywood Casino at The Meadows.
“Hollywood Casino at The Meadows and the Meadows Standardbred Owners Association would like to pass along our most sincere condolences and heartfelt prayers to the family and friends of Hunter Myers, who passed away early this morning after a tragic racing accident at The Meadows yesterday afternoon,” Hollywood Casino at The Meadows and the MSOA said in a joint statement.
“Our thoughts and sympathy are with his fiancée, Chloe Fisher, and son, Hayden Myers, during this time.
“Hunter was a rising star in our industry. The Meadows racing community, and the entire harness racing industry, are deeply saddened by this tragic event.”
The MSOA posted on its Facebook page that “Out of respect to the Meadows Racing Community the Meadows has canceled racing for the remainder of the week.”
Myers, the son of trainer Michael Myers, began working with horses at an early age while growing up in Williamsport, Ohio. His family’s involvement in the sport spanned generations, going back to his dad’s grandfather and uncle. A cousin of his mother participated in racing as well. By the time Myers was a teenager, he was focused on becoming a driver.
He launched his driving career as a 16-year-old in 2014, winning 19 of 110 races while appearing at 29 tracks as he looked to establish himself on the Ohio fairs circuit. He got his first win with Uptown Dreamer, a horse trained by his dad, on July 11 at the Jackson County Fair in Wellston, and added two more victories before the day was over.
For his efforts that year, Myers was honored by the Ohio chapter of the U.S. Harness Writers Association with its Peter Haughton Memorial Award, given to “the young Ohioan who is an up-and-coming star among harness horsemen.”
Myers won 298 races over the next four years before notching his first $1 million season in purses in 2019, when he visited the winner’s circle 164 times. Two years later, Myers won 349 starts to begin a streak of four top 20 finishes in victories among all drivers in North America. Twice he was in the top 10, including last season when he won 455 races and set a career high with $4.59 million in purses.
Among his top victories in 2024 were the $100,000 Moni Maker Stakes and $52,355 Currier & Ives, two Grand Circuit events, with the season’s Dan Patch Award-winning 3-year-old female trotter Allegiant.
In addition to racing at The Meadows, he competed regularly at MGM Northfield Park, where he was among the track’s leading drivers.
He won 2,450 races and $21.7 million in purses during his career and was a three-time finalist for the U.S. Harness Writers Association’s Rising Star Award.
“The tragic news about driver Hunter Myers’ passing saddens all of us at the USTA and throughout the industry,” the U.S. Trotting Association said in a statement.
“The sport is in mourning.
“Hunter Myers was a driver, and a very good one at that. An Ohio native, he grew up in the sport and started driving in 2014. When he tragically died Thursday morning at the age of 27 following a racing accident at the Meadows in Washington, Pa., on March 19, he had amassed 2,450 career victories in just under 11 years.
“The statistics and his obvious talent, however, do not begin to tell the whole story. He was a beloved son to his parents. A doting father to his toddler son. An adored partner to his fiancée. And a loyal, funny, generous friend to the legions in American harness racing who knew him.
“Hunter Myers was an integral, remarkable part of the fabric of the sport and he died doing what he loved. Now those who loved him — and there are many — are left to contemplate an unexpected and indescribable loss.
“The U.S. Trotting Association extends its deepest sympathies to Hunter Myers’ family and loved ones, and mourns a shining light dimmed too soon. May his memory be a blessing to all who knew him.”