Wattsburg, PA — Aaron Johnston capped a big two-day Pennsylvania Fair Sire Stakes racing stand for himself at Erie County Fair, in northwestern Pennsylvnia, when he guided the sophomore Cantab Hall gelding Bigly to a mile in 2:03.2 – the fastest trotting mile ever at the Wattsburg, Pa., oval — on Tuesday (Aug. 30).

Undefeated in five 2022 fair starts and with a pari-mutuel Stallion Series win to his credit, it wasn’t a surprise Bigly won again for trainer-driver Johnston and owners Jennifer Johnston and Brian Taylor. Bigly’s 2:03.2 erased the track’s all-age trot standard first set by Smokey Crown in 1988 and later tied by Major Matter (2016) and New Heaven (2017).

The fastest mile of the meet at Wattsburg came in the first race on Tuesday, when the 3-year-old Betting Line filly Cathy Hanover won in 2:01.3, with Aaron Johnston driving for trainer Nathan Bresnahan and owner Matthew Miller.

Aaron Johnston trained and drove another record-breaking horse on Monday (Aug. 29), the day of 2-year-old action. And that honor also went to owners Jennifer Johnston and Brian Taylor, when their International Moni-Fan Favourite trotting colt Momoni De Vie was victorious in 2:05.4, reducing the previous divisional record of Tag The Lady by a tick and also equaling the filly Lovebeinglucky as the fastest 2-year-old trotting winner ever at Wattsburg.

Fortunately, Momoni De Vie’s race was scheduled early on the Monday card, as a storm came in after race nine and forced the cancellation of the day’s final five races. It was the first cancellation due to weather for the Pennsylvania Fair Sire Stakes trail this season, which had gone two months and a day without a rainout before Monday.

Aaron Johnston and Wayne Long each drove six winners during the shortened two-day Wattsburg stand to share driving honors; of Long’s sextet, five came from his own barn as he won the trainers’ crown by one over Johnston.

State fair racing is right back in the game at Stoneboro, Pa., on Thursday (Sept. 1, 2-year-olds, 6:30 p.m.) and Friday (Sept. 2, 3-year-olds, noon).