Lynne Myers wasn’t born into harness racing, but it’s where she’s meant to be
by Victoria Howard
One doesn’t have to be born or brought up in the sport of harness racing to appreciate it and really love it. A great example is this week’s superstar female, Lynne Myers. Despite the fact that Myers never owned a standardbred, she has always been very much involved in harness racing and is highly revered and respected by horsemen.
Myers was born in Lexington, KY, the “Horse Capital of the World.” Marlene Cummins McLaughlin, a family friend of Myers’, was involved in the sport and was the person who introduced her to harness racing.
“I was 13 years old when I attended my first harness race at The Red Mile in Lexington, KY,” Myers said. “That was all it took, and I was instantly hooked. Over the years my casual interest evolved into a deep appreciation and respect for the horses themselves and the people who bred and raced them.
“In May 1984, I graduated from college with a B.A. in Art/Graphic Design and through pure happenstance heard about a position needed for a graphic artist at The Horseman and Fair World magazine. I applied, got the job, and began working there the following month.
“Art Director Wanda Morgan took me under her wing and showed me the tricks of the trade. When I initially started, we used “hot type” and had no computers. Boy, have things come a long way.”
Myers said she thought the job would provide experience and prepare me for a career in graphic design.
“But when the assistant manager position opened, I jumped at the chance to move up in the company,” she said. “I always had a love for writing, so it was a natural transition to add copywriting to my creative skill set, as well as advertising sales, and production.
“At the time, Greg Schuler was the advertising manager. He was an incredible mentor who taught me how to write interesting and captivating ad copy and research and write pedigree statements.”
When Schuler left the magazine to start his own advertising agency, Myers moved up as advertising manager.
“I managed and produced advertising in the magazine, as well as digital advertising on our website www.harnessracing.comand in our weekly e-newsletter Weekend Preview. I remained in that position until the magazine sadly closed in January 2021.”
Myers said she was devastated when The Horseman and Fair World closed.
“The magazine was the only place I had worked as an adult and it was tragic to see it come to an end, especially since it had been in existence since 1877,” Myers said. “I had no idea what I would do next, but within a couple of weeks after the announcement was made, I had many of my [Horseman] customers reach out and ask if I would continue to create advertising for them in other harness racing publications. I was so humbled, and it was the perfect transition for me to continue doing what I love to do.
“I opened my own business called Lynne Myers Creative. Currently I have 20 plus clients who I handle advertising for on a regular basis, and many others that I do seasonal work for.
“I also create ads for Hoof Beats magazine and assist production of the Breeders Book Stallion Directory and Youth Beats.
Myers has met many people while working in the sport, and when asked who has touched her the most and why, she said, “There have been many people who have been important throughout my career in the industry so it’s impossible to single out any one person. I would have to say it is the collective group of many colleagues and clients who also became my friends. I’ve enjoyed my job so much over the years because of the relationships that I’ve built along the way and some of my closest friends are co-workers at The Horseman.”
One person in particular who has nothing but praise for Myers is Hall of Famer Bob Marks, who at one time managed Perretti Farms. Together, Marks and Myers collaborated on several hundred ads over the years.
Marks said that Myers had an appreciation for high level graphic arts and in many ways, she could almost anticipate what they needed to say on the subject involved.
Even though Marks is no longer connected with a major farm he still utilizes Myers for any advertising he may require for his clients, such as Wiesman Farms and Anthony Perretti Farms.
Not wanting to see our sport go the way of The Horseman and Fair World, Myers has some ideas of what should be done.
“I think we must attract new people to harness racing when they are young,” Myers said. “Lexington is a vibrant city with lots of entertainment opportunities. The University of Kentucky is right next door to The Red Mile and although I’m not a marketing specialist, I think we need to give it a bigger push to attract the college kids [there are around 24,000 undergrads] to the tracks.
“So many people, young and old, in Lexington don’t even realize that there are horse races at The Red Mile. They think it’s just a casino. Just the other day, I had a friend ask me, ‘Do they still race at The Red Mile?’ I see a ton of advertising for the slots, but there are very few for the racing side.”
Myers agreed that women in the sport of harness racing have come a long way, and that today we are blessed to have some very talented female trainers, drivers, caretakers and owners.
“Our sport has many talented females, but I would have to say the one that stands out is Kathy Parker,” Myers said. “She arrived at The Horseman a few years before I did and rose through the ranks to eventually becoming the editor and general manager.
“Kathy was never afraid to tackle the hard topics that sometimes arose in the sport and handled herself with poise and professionalism. She was an excellent writer and a caring boss who did her best to keep The Horseman in business for as long as possible. Deservingly, Kathy is in the Communicators Hall of Fame.”
