by the Iowa Harness Horse Association

Humboldt, IA –– Two horses with third place rankings coming into the final weekend of racing in Iowa put out top performances beating the leaders to take the 2-year-old filly and colt paces in the Iowa Fairs racing championships. The top Iowa-registered horses competed in the Iowa Fairs racing championships on Sunday (September 23). The fields were comprised of the top five Iowa-Registered divisional points earners of 2018 with points accumulated over eight races in Iowa throughout the summer.

Photo courtesy of Iowa Harness Horse Association

Rick Huffman smilesas his granddaughter holds their horse, My Money Honey, following his win inthe Iowa Fairs Racing Championship.

The $12,000 Cliff Card Memorial for 2-year-old pacing colts featured a field of four after Frisky Pedro scratched. Top gelding Oh Toodles drew the rail. The Iowa-sired Relentless Yankee gelding dominated most of the season, winning seven of his eight Iowa-Registered starts. Even with an early break last week, Oh Toodles found his gait and sped past the competition to post another win.

After Oh Toodles, Ten Thousand Marcs and Dance Traveler drew post-positions two and three and Iowa Sires Stakes champion My Money Honey started on the outside. My Money Honey shot off the gate with Iowa’s leading driver Will Roland taking the reins. The pair quickly established the lead and flew past the quarter in :30. Oh Toodles made the pull from third coming into the first grandstand pass, but made a break at the head of the stretch. My Money Honey continued to lead at the half, clocking in at 1:00.2.

Along the final backstretch run Dance Traveler tipped out from third to challenge Ten Thousand Marcs followed by Oh Toodles making a three wide sweep. The crowd cheered as favorite Oh Toodles closed in around the final turn, then collectively gasped as the top gelding made another break. My Money Honey stayed straight and strong pacing home in 2:01.3, knocking two seconds off his previous lifetime mark and finishing over eight lengths ahead of Dance Traveler, the largest margin of victory in the Iowa Fairs racing championships.

My Money Honey is trained by Rick Huffman and owned by Huffman and his 12-year-old granddaughter Kayveonna Johnson. The Iowa-sired Sneaky B Skipalong gelding is out of KayveonnasStarlite, also an Iowa-sired mare.

The $12,000 John Lems Memorial for 2-year-old pacing fillies included two dominant fillies both coming off wins last weekend. Heavy Handed Hanna holds the fastest Iowa 2-year-old pace of the year in 2:01 and is the undefeated 2018 Iowa Sires Stakes champion. Snobbytown, a Nob Hill High filly, took a month hiatus from Iowa racing to compete in the Ohio Sires Stakes posting a 1:53.4 mile at Scioto Downs. Snobbytown has also won three of the four races she has drawn in with Heavy Handed Hanna.

n the five-horse field, Diamonds Are Trump drew the rail with Dusty Star in post postion two. Always B Hanny, an Always a Virgin filly with three wins in nine starts, drew post position three with Snobbytown in four and Heavy Handed Hanna on the outside.

Always B Hanny shot off the gate with Adam Hauser in the bike taking the early lead. Snobbytown settled into second with Heavy Handed Hanna parked in third down the backside. They reached the quarter in :30.1. Heavy Handed Hanna, still parked, surged to the front clearing to take the lead around the far turn. She wouldn’t lead for long. Snobbytown pulled the first time down the stretch and glided to the front passing the half in 1:01.

Snobbytown steadily increased her lead on the field reaching the three-quarters in 1:30.2, three lengths ahead of Always B Hanny who had taken over second from Heavy Handed Hanna. Always B Hanny steam-rolled around the final turn catching Snobbytown in the stretch and grinding to the finish to win in 2:02, a new lifetime mark.

Always Be Hanny improved her 2-year-old earnings to $21,600 for owner Todd Banks. Trained by Justin Anfinson, the Always A Virgin filly is out of Tootin Hanny, an I Scoot Hanover mare.