About Us

The Dee Hotton Stable is a first-class racing stable offering a full complement of professional racehorse services. The stable is based out of the Wayne County Fairgrounds, located in Wooster, Ohio. This centralized Ohio location provides great racing advantages for horse owners as it is within a few hours of most Ohio Fairs, and all four pari-mutuel racetracks in Ohio: Lebanon Raceway, Northfield Park, Raceway Park, and Scioto Downs. While the Stable races predominately in Ohio, Dee is not afraid to take a quality racehorse beyond Ohio borders.

Dee Hotton

Deirdre Hotton founded, owns, and manages the Dee Hotton Stable. She has been involved in harness racing for over 25 years. Dee dreamed of training horses from a very young age after driving harness horses in Ohio matinee races while in her teens. After graduating from college she made that dream a reality by establishing the Dee Hotton Stable. She loves the sport of harness racing and wants to enable horse racing enthusiasts the chance to become a part of this great sport through horse ownership or affordable and economical racehorse partnerships.

Dee has been a harness horse owner, trainer, and driver for many years and has invaluable experience in training racehorses and forming and managing partnerships. She has a keen eye for profitable claims and picking out talented yearlings. Dee spearheaded the forming of the partnership on the trotter, Glory Bound, who was a $2,300 yearling purchase that went on to win over $300,000 during a five year partnership. In 2004, she offered the filly Ily Lavec, a $7,500 yearling purchase, for partnership, and the horse went on to make over $30,000 in 2005.

With a strong background in the world of harness racing, you will find that owning and racing a horse under the Dee Hotton Stable roof will be easy, affordable, and enjoyable. Her personal goals for the Dee Hotton Stable are to build a harness horse stable filled with quality racehorses while maintaining the highest level of integrity in the industry; have optimum two way communications with horse owners and/or partners; and have a viable and successful business while providing a lot of fun for her horse owners and herself. Her vision for the future, and knowledge of the game, is what sets the Dee Hotton Stable apart from others in the business.

Bruce Hotton

Bruce Hotton has been a Standardbred owner for over 32 years. He is experienced in all phases of the harness racing industry. He brings to the Hotton Stable over forty years of business management experience. His background includes leadership responsibilities for sales, training, and management in a major chemical company, and an Ohio based chemical distributor. Furthermore, he served as president and owner of the B. A. Hotton Company.

He currently resides in Medina, Ohio and oversees racing interests in the Dee Hotton Stable as Assistant Manager.

Richard Dobec

Richard L. Dobec has been involved in harness horse racing as an owner, driver, and trainer since 1961. His experiences include working for harness racing's Hall of Famer Billy Haughton, serving as a New York County Fair consultant, and being the Executive Secretary for the Northeast Harness Horsemen's Association based in Saratoga, New York. Rich also spent some time working as a farrier in his youth. He holds an Associate of Science Degree in Horse Production from S.U.N.Y. Ag. & Tech. Institute, Cobleskill, New York, a Bachelor's Degree in Animal Science, and a Masters Degree in population genetics from Cornell University, Ithaca, New York.

Rich started teaching Horse Production and Management, with a Standardbred emphasis, at the Ohio State University's Agricultural Technical Institute in 1978, and retired, an Emeritus professor in 2000. Currently, he is an adjunct professor and consultant with the Foye Equine Genetics of Lawrenceburg, Kentucky.

Rich supports the Dee Hotton Stable as an Equine Consultant in partnerships. He was a native of Southold, Long Island, New York, and now resides in Wooster, Ohio.