by Darrell Wood, for the Virginia Equine Alliance

Woodstock, VA — Thanks to all horsemen and fans who came out to support the four-day harness meet this past week at the Shenandoah County Fairgrounds in Woodstock, Va.

A total of 30 races were contested over the freshly renovated half-mile oval, which underwent a $750,000 upgrade that began earlier this spring. Some 11 trotting events were held over the four days compared with 19 pacing events. The track was widened during renovations to accommodate eight horses behind the starter’s car (versus four) and the turns were banked. The Fair’s concert stage was also relocated as was the tractor pull strip.

Leading driver during the Fair meet was Chuck Perry (10 wins) and leading trainer was Betsy Brown (10 wins). The winningest horses with four triumphs each were pacer Vertigo Hanover and trotter Molly B’golly. Vertigo had the fastest pacing mile, 1:58.3, while Molly had the fastest trotting mile of 2:00.2. A total of five sub-2:00 miles were recorded.

Other top competitors among reinsmen were Alvin Lineweaver, Betsy Brown and Dr. Scott Woogen, who finished the short meet with six, five and four wins, respectively. Henry Lewis was second leading conditioner with six wins. From an equine standpoint, John’s Dream had a trio of victories and the following horses had two wins each: Paulimony, Bp Burner, Last Chance Harvey and B Blissful.

A five-week pari-mutuel harness race meet called Shenandoah Downs begins at the Woodstock oval this Saturday (Sept. 10) and continues every Saturday and Sunday through Oct. 9.

This weekend, fans can enjoy free admission, a food truck festival, plus the first 500 attendees each day (18 and older) will receive a free $2 bet voucher. Featured racing event this weekend is the $320,000 Virginia Breeders Championships.

The draw for both Saturday’s and Sunday’s races is scheduled for Wednesday. For more details, visit www.virginiahorseracing.com or www.shenandoahdowns.com.