Skowhegan, ME – The Skowhegan State Fair swung open its gates for the 208th consecutive season this week with harness racing taking center stage before the packed, voluminous stands on Sunday (Aug. 16). A 10-race program loaded with competitive combatants filled the outdoor paddocks, but it was a pacer named Dark Horse who stole the limelight while winning for the 50th time in his career.
Confidently piloted by driver Aaron Hall, Dark Horse settled comfortably into the garden seat after Reys N A Ruckus (driven by Joey Mosher) served notice of his intentions to take point. Tracking even fractions throughout, Dark Horse, who appeared hopelessly pinned in as the field bunched together entering the final turn, miraculously escaped the clutches of that crowded bend, split foes to finally find daylight, and doggedly drove on to eke out the win in a three-way photo.
Dark Horse, who returned a reasonable $14.40 to win, was timed in a seasonal best 1:57.2 while recording the milestone score.
Showing no sign of slowing down, the 13-year-old son of I’m Gorgeous, who is trained by Dalton Lee for owner Lori Bateman, won for the fifth time this season and now boasts career earnings of $367,938.
The win was one of two on the card for Hall, who earlier teamed Smokin By N (1:57.3, $13.20) to another benchmark performance, gaining the 40th career win for the Haley Farken owned/trained pacer.
In other Skowhegan news, driver Kevin Switzer Jr. and trainer Mark Harris teamed up to enjoy a profitable day on Sunday as the tandem paraded twice into the regally decorated fairground winner’s circle after scoring wins with Cash Crazy Express (2:01, $2.80) and DT Petlot (1:59, $9.60); both pacers recording their first wins of the season.
Racing resumes at Skowhegan on Monday (Aug. 17) with post time set for 1 p.m. (EDT) and will continue on a daily basis until Saturday (Aug. 22).
The Skowhegan live video feed can be enjoyed online at the Maine Fair Harness Racing YouTube channel while wagering is available online on the Hollywood Races site at www.hollywoodraces.com.