Brown has seen harness racing's heyday

Bowman Brown Jr. has made a career out of horses--one that spans 50 years. At 75, he still keeps active as a sort of unofficial adviser in the Standardbred Horse Sales Co. auction at Harrisburg's Farm Show, the largest auction of Standardbred horses in the United States.

You could say Brown became involved with Standardbreds--a breed developed in the late 19th century and used in harness racing--by default. His father participated in harness racing at county fairs and founded a magazine devoted to the sport. "I grew up in the Standardbred world," Brown said. "I had no intentions or finances to go into the thoroughbred business; that's for really rich people."

In harness …