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.
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. 11 trotting events were held compared with 19 pacing events. The track was widened 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 was Chuck Perry, (10 wins), while leading trainer was Betsy Brown (10 wins) and the winningest horses with 4 triumphs each were pacer Vertigo Hanover (shown here courtesy of Andy Huffmyer) and trotter Molly B’golly. Vertigo had the fastest pacing mile, 1:58 3/5, while Molly had the fastest trotting mile of 2:00 2/5. A total of five sub two minute 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 there this Saturday, September 10th, and continues every Saturday & Sunday through October 9th. This weekend, fans can enjoy FREE admission, a food truck festival, plus the first 500 attendees each day (18 & 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.shenandoahdown.com.
