The first meet of the Iowa racing season went off at What Cheer on a sunny Sunday (May 28) afternoon. Trailers rolled in and the barns filled with horses, fans found seats in the grandstand and lined the fence with lawn chairs and 56 fresh competitors vied for their first Iowa win in 2017.
Category: Fair News
Last call for Matching Funds Grant Applications
Matching Funds Grant applications for fairs must be postmarked by Monday (May 1).
Matching Funds Grant Program applications available online
The 2017 Matching Funds Grant Program applications are available online on the fairs section of the USTA website. Applications must be postmarked by May 1. The Matching Funds Grant program was started in 2006 to aid county fairs and horsemen’s associations to support a grassroots marketing initiative at the fair level.
Iowa adds new race venues for 2017
The Iowa Harness Horse Association (IaHHA) is excited to announce that we will be adding two racing venues to the 2017 schedule – the Lee County Fair at Donnellson, Iowa and the Hamilton County Fair at Webster City, Iowa. Both will be evening programs to give new and returning racing fans the best opportunity to attend. Fair board members from each county approached the IaHHA about bringing racing back to their communities.
Waterview Hanover repeats in PA Fair finals at The Meadows
Struggling to make up ground on an off track, Waterview Hanover lunged at the wire and got up by a nose to collect her second Pennsylvania Fairs championship Saturday at The Meadows. On a chilly, overcast day when overnight and morning rain made for a “good” surface, The Meadows hosted all eight $24,200 finals for 2- and 3-year-olds. The air may have been cool, but the races were hot — particularly the dramatic finish of Waterview Hanover in the 3-year-old filly trot.
Vorst sets track record at Indiana (Pa) Fair
Vorst rewrote the track record for 3-year-old pacing fillies at the Indiana County Fair, and came within three-fifths of a second of the all-time Indiana standard, when she won in Pennsylvania Fair Sire Stakes action in this west-central Pennsylvania city in 1:59.1, the highlight of a two-day meet which ended Tuesday (Aug. 30).
Away My Baby equals 2-year-old filly trotting record at Hicksville
The three day meet at the Defiance County Fair at Hicksville, Ohio, came to a close Friday (August 26). The final night found Away My Baby (And Away We Go-Mink Deville) trot a mile in 2:05.4 to equal the track record for two-year-old filly trotters. That mark was previously attained by Final Link in 2008. Brandon Bartley and Jim Lupton are the co-owners of Away My Baby with Lupton also doing the training. Eric Tharps, Jr. picked up the winning drive in the record-equalling mile.
Just who is George K. Miller?
Pompano Beach, FL — A Universal Drivers Rating Statistic (UDRS) of .923 is quite improbable in today’s racing environment, yet it is a reality for veteran horseman George K. Miller, who is also owner/operator of Pine Hill Stable in Cohocton, N.Y.
Entries for Monday’s FFA Pace at Noble County Fair held for Tuesday
Caldwell, OH — The Free-For-All Pace at Caldwell did not fill for Monday night (Aug. 28). The race has been carried over until Tuesday (Aug. 29) to try and fill it.
Atta Boy Dan wins Riegle Memorial in a new stakes and track record
Atta Boy Dan (Mike Wilder) used a first-over trip and edged Night Pro (Peter Wrenn) by three-quarters of a length to win the $35,000 Gene Riegle Memorial at the Darke County Fair in Greenville, Ohio.