Skowhegan, ME — Aaron Hall’s star shone brightest of all under the sparkling lights at Skowhegan State Fair on Tuesday (Aug. 15) as the talented teamster dazzled the fans with a three win performance during Maine’s first evening card of the 2023 harness racing season.

Aaron Hall won three at Skowhegan State Fair. Photo courtesy of Scarborough Downs.

Hall kick-started his three-peat with an insistent gate-to-wire score behind the accomplished Maine Sire Stakes star Two Towns Over in an early $14,692 non-wagering stakes event for sophomore pacing colts and geldings. The son of Deuce Seelster-City Girl Hanover played a lively game of catch-me-if-you-can, generating an incredible :57.2 back-half to hold the challengers at bay, and timed in a seasonal equaling best of 1:58.1.

Owned and trained by Valerie Grondin, the win was the second of the 2023 season for last season’s Maine Sire Stakes freshman champion.

Hall employed the pike route strategy once again while nabbing his second win of the night with S R Willpower (2:01-$7.00). Lulling the competition through pedestrian fractions before sprinting home in a fleet :28.4, the half-length margin secured the fourth win of the year for the Wayne Smith trainee.

A change in strategy was in order though as Lovethewayyoulie (1:58.3-$5.00) was denied Hall’s preferred front-end seat by Rojas Blue Chip and driver Kevin Switzer Jr. who bullied their way to early superiority.

Carefully tracking, Hall kept his charge brave at the pylons before boldly charging up the inside path once clearance appeared in mid-stretch, and with the photo-finish lights flooding the track, Lovethewayyoulie sped past his rival to post the half-length score.

Now with 67 seasonal wins and 549 career victories, Aaron Hall remains firmly entrenched as a top-five rated teamster along the state-of-Maine circuit.

In other Skowhegan news, driver Dan Deslandes pieced together two more winning strategies during the Tuesday card while trainers Jeff Deslandes and Valerie Grondin each recorded conditioning doubles.

Skowhegan will race under the lights on Thursday (Aug. 17) with post time slated at 7 p.m. (EDT). The meet will culminate with 1 p.m. cards on Friday and Saturday (Aug. 18 and 19). Saturday’s card will feature the $15,000 Hight Memorial Invitational which annually attracts the finest horses in New England.