Fuel for the Harness Hot Stove

By Bob Roberts

In Ohio’s rural counties, rich in corn and soybeans – and racehorses – fall has arrived. The crops have been harvested, the farm equipment has been serviced, and the mazes have been solved. Winter is about to set in.

What to do after the cover crops and the winter rye have been planted? How about firing up the hot stove and reliving a spring, summer, and fall of Buckeye county fair harness racing?

Here’s a review of what transpired at many of the 67 fairs that offered up 130 cards that produced 1,562 winners, three more winners than races because of dead-heats for first at Eaton, Hicksville, and Wauseon. Let’s roll back the calendar pages by month.

JUNE – PAULDING opened the season with a pair of cards (9th & 10th) with a preview of the future. Rosy Weaver won seven races, giving her a jump on being the leading fair trainer of 2025 with a record 100 victories (plus two on fairs championship night at Northfield). The bettors were stumped in the final race of the meeting when Union Station went wire-to-wire without a single dollar bet on him. Those who wagered on runner-up Just Barley got the money – at odds of 74-1 . . . Jeff Nisonger was the star at CIRCLEVILLE (14th & 15th). He drove six winners and trained five of them. Burnout, a 5-year-old gelding, equaled the Circleville track record of 1:57, set by Newbegining in 2008 and matched by Medoland Bosa in 2020 . . . Hank LeVan went on the warpath at OTTAWA (24th & 25th), driving 10 winners and training nine of them . . . At MARION (30th & July 1), the track was listed as slow, but it didn’t stop Drew Neill — who would go on to win the drivers’ championship with a record 166 victories — from winning 11 races, nine of them for Rosy Weaver. How slow was the track? One race went in 2:23.2. But Neill and Weaver didn’t care. They got the first-place check.

JULY – Hank LeVan dominated the action at BELLEFONTAINE (7th & 8th), winning seven in the sulky, of which six he trained. Legendary L, one of LeVan’s pupils, missed the 2017 track record on the pace of 1:57.1 by just a fifth of a second . . . At WILMINGTON (8th), Ollies Rockin doesn’t win often (9-for-151), but when he does, he flies. The 7-year-old pacer scored in 1:56 in what would be his only victory of the year (through October) . . . Betty Clegg, last year’s winningest trainer, was in the spotlight at CORTLAND (8th), sending out seven winners of the 21 races offered . . . Arbin, a 6-year-old pacer, crushed the 18-year-old track record of 1:58 of Nite Train at WELLSTON (11th & 12th), winning in 1:56.1. He won off by 21 and three-quarters lengths and may have gone faster . . . Another track record fell just three days later at OAK HARBOR when Stoney Ridgetop was clocked in 1:57.4. The former standard of 1:58.2 was set by Need A Winner in 2018 and matched by I Get It in 2022 . . . Legendary L, on his way to becoming the fourth winningest 3-year-old in North America this year (through October) with 16 triumphs, added to his total at HILLIARD (14th), scoring in 1:58.4, fastest of the 15 races run at the Franklin County Fair . . . The track at LEBANON (14th) had horses on their toes as first Skyway Slick equaled the track record for trotters with a 1:59 mile, then Full Moon Howl destroyed it with a 1:57 effort. The old mark was set by both Big Box Hanover and Tyson in 2020 and matched by Starflower last year. Earlier on the card, Garoppolo missed equaling the track record on the pace of 1:55 by a mere fifth of a second . . . Speed was supreme the next day at CARROLLTON (15th) when Boozer missed the pacing track record of 1:57.2 by a fifth of a second . . . He may be 8, but Manhattanup No Ice turned in a big mile for trainer-driver Edward Miller at BUCYRUS (16th & 17th), trotting home in 1:58.3. He missed the 12-year-old track record set by Wild Ride by just two-fifths of a second . . . Luke, the younger Hanners brother, got the better of Austin as weather interrupted WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE (17th and 19th), winning four races to his older brother’s three-bagger. Arbin, who set the track record at Wellston, missed the one at Washington Court House by just a fifth of a second with a 1:54.4 clocking. The mark was set by Nuclear Dragon in 2022 . . . It was a big Monday for the Weller family at TIFFIN (20th & 21st) when sister Jayne won two races and brother Jay chipped in for another. Both are veterans of the Buckeye fair circuit, Jayne as a trainer and Jay as a trainer-driver . . . Ronnie Gillespie, who would finish eighth in in the 2025 standings for both driver (44 wins) and trainer (29 winners), had a couple of speedy afternoons at MARYSVILLE (21st & 22nd). He got Catch The Express to win in 1:56.3 on July 22, but the day before, the sophomore filly Ella Jo scored in 1:56.1, just three-fifths of a second off the 2021 pacing track record of 1:55.3 set by Calvin L . . . If it wasn’t Bring Your Daughter to Work Day at MOUNT VERNON (21st), it should have been. Kiara Morgan, daughter of Ohio training kingpin Virgil Morgan Jr., drove two winners for her father . . . Justin Irvine dominated the action at PAINESVILLE (22nd), but he had to share the top headline with a 5-year-old trotting gelding. Irvine, the son of Northfield legend Don Irvine Jr., won four races with a trio of seconds and thirds, while Met Your Request, in the final race of the day, matched the trotting track record with a 1:59.2 mile. The record was set last year by Global Girl, who tried to break her own standard but had to settle for second money . . . The racing surface was stubborn at SIDNEY (22nd & 23rd) this year. In 19 races over two days, Spiritshappyending, a sophomore pacing gelding, was the only winner to post a sub two-minute mile, timed in 1:58.1 . . . Why not hit the winner’s circle for the first time with a bang? Fearless Delight registered his maiden victory at PIKETON (25th & 26th) by rallying for a neck decision in a track-record 1:55.2, shaving a fifth off the standard set by Petacular Rock in 2021 . . . Kurt Sugg was the star of one of the longest nights in the history of county fair racing when he won five races at the SUMMIT COUNTY FAIR at MGM Northfield Park (26th). The 19-race evening began at 5:24 p.m. and ended a minute after midnight . . . The stopwatches had to work overtime at BOWLING GREEN (27th & 28th) as all 20 races failed to break the two-minute barrier. Trainer Herman Hagerman couldn’t have cared less. He won six races . . . In the most impressive driving performance of the 2025 season, Jeff Nisonger, who would finish fourth overall for the year, won eight of the 14 races he drove in at EATON (27th). He also logged a pair of seconds and a pair of thirds. Nisonger trained six of his eight winners . . . Why break the trotting track record once when you can break it on back-to-back days? That’s what driver Jason Thompson did at LISBON (28th & 29th). The mark of 2:04.2 set by Kandy Sweet last year was lowered to 2:04, first to Thompson and Promise At Dawn on opening day, then to Thompson and Tiny Tom, again in 2:04 on the second day. The track records overshadowed Justin Irvine’s six winners . . . Drew Neill, building his winning driving totals en route to a record season (166 scores) added four at WAPAKONETA (29th & 30th) . . . One of the fastest ovals on the Buckeye fair circuit is XENIA (30th & 31st) with track records of 1:53.4 on the pace and 1:57.2 on the trot, but it wasn’t in the mood to bend to speed this year. The fastest mile was 1:56.1 by Big Booty Rudy in the Chip Noble Memorial . . . The final card of the month was opening night of the OHIO STATE FAIR (31st) at Scioto Downs. Copper Penny was a speeding bullet, winning in 1:51.

AUGUST – The combination of Ron Burke’s training and Chris Page’s sulky strategies netted the fastest miles at the closing two programs of the OHIO STATE FAIR (1st & 2nd) at Scioto Downs as Prince of Honor trotted in 1:52.2, and Racing Rebel paced home in 1:48.2 . . . Brady Clemens had the hot hand at ATHENS (1st) driving five winners on a doubleheader card . . . Jeff Nisonger went on a tear at CHILLICOTHE (3rd) by winning five of the 14 races. He also had four runner-up finishes . . . The track at MANSFIELD (3rd & 4th) wasn’t in the mood for fast final times. The closest a horse came to breaking the two-minute barrier was Rodeo Jet, a 3-year-old gelding, who was clocked in 2:01 in winning off by five lengths . . . The action was furious at URBANA (4th & 5th & 6th) with freshmen filly Stride for Stride and colt Hunka Hunka turning in the fastest miles, matching 1:54.4s . . . Greater Cleveland harness fans got a preview of the Ohio Fairs leading trainer and driver when Drew Neill and Rosy Weaver combined for four-baggers at BEREA (5th) . . . Justin Irvine and Garry Martin had two great days of racing at JEFFERSON (6th & 7th), as they each collected five winners, four of them together. They missed two more scores by neck photo-finishes . . . Emanuel Miller was the brightest star at ATTICA (6th & 7th), as he drove six winners on the second day, four for trainer Herman Hagerman . . . There is dominance and then there is dominance. At CROTON (8th & 9th), Drew Neill (six winners) and red-hot Emanuel Miller (five winners) took down 11 of the 17 races . . . Sandis Commando, a 6-year-old mare, trotted wire-to-wire in 1:58.2 to win at CELINA (10th & 11th) to equal the Mercer County Fair track record set by Workinitonbroadway in 2021 . . . The trainer-driver money got spread around at ZANESVILLE (10th & 11th), and Sweet Illusion, a 4-year-old mare, took a shot at the 1:57.1 track record with a pacing mile in 1:57.3 . . . Kayne Kauffman had the best time at TROY (11th & 12th), as he drove five winners and added four runner-up finishes . . . In a dominant battle at NAPOLEON (12th & 13th) between the top two Buckeye fair trainers, Betty Clegg and Rosy Weaver traded winners like boxers trade punches. Clegg scored the technical knockout, winning six races to Weaver’s five . . . With 1:59.3 on the pace and 2:00 on the trot, ROCK SPRINGS (14th & 15th) is not known for yielding quick miles. Bounding Delight gave it a run, pacing home in 2:00, just two-fifths short of Petacular Rock’s 2019 record . . . GREENVILLE (15th, 16th, & 21st) is known for rich purses and stopwatch-busting times, but the top headline this summer went to trainer Todd Luther, who sent out six winners. Austin Hanners handled four of them . . . Champion driver Drew Neill had a wonderful time at WELLINGTON (17th & 18th), scoring with eight of his mounts. He added a trio of seconds and a pair of thirds and was off the board just twice . . . He didn’t threaten the LIMA (18th & 19th) pacing track record of 1:55.2, but Merry Jerry still went a big mile in scoring in 1:56.1 for driver Ronnie Gillespie and trainer Kenneth Hurst . . . There were only 15 races over two days at WOODSFIELD (19th & 20th), which may have disappointed drivers Brady Clemens and Carson Conrad. Between them, they won nine of the races, with Clemens having five of them . . . Weather forced HICKSVILLE (20th & 23rd) to split its dates, but what a show Emanuel Miller and Drew Neill put on for the fans in Defiance County. Miller drove seven winners while Neil countered with six . . . The tight trainers’ race between Rosy Weaver and Betty Clegg got more intense at MOUNT GILEAD when they sent out three winners apiece. At the end of the day, Weaver clung to a one-winner lead . . . The trot track record at CALDWELL (25th & 26th) was set in 2018 by Uncle Leroy and matched in 2023 by Father Time. Sophomore filly I Bee Cream gave it a scare in 2:00.4, but she had her race locked up early on, winning off by eight and a quarter lengths and wasn’t under pressure in the stretch . . . Amazing Tom, trained by Dan Krebehenne and driven by Drew Neill, was hitting on all trotting cylinders during the doubleheader cards at RICHWOOD (26th) as he stopped the watch at 1:59.3, matching the track record set by Lady Edith in 2016 . . . Drew Neill (six winners) and Rosy Weaver (four winners) were hot at VAN WERT (26th & Sept. 1), and they shared the spotlight with 8-year-old Hanover Da Moon, who trotted in 1:59.2 to equal the trotting track record set by Red Hot Herbie in 2014. The old man is trained by Tim Grubb and was driven by Tyler Rush . . . Two afternoons at CANTON (27th & 28th) will represent the county fair high-water mark for young reinsman Braiden Rhoades. The 20-year-old won six races, while defending champion trainer Betty Clegg had a monster visit, winning seven races and wrestling the lead back from Rosy Weaver . . . No track records, but lots of winners for one driver at FINDLAY (27th & 28th) as Jason Beattie, who finished fifth in the yearly standings with 67 winners, scored in seven of the 24 races with three seconds . . . The trainers’ derby continued between Betty Clegg and Rosy Weaver at BURTON (29th) with “no blood.” Each took home one first-place purse . . . The evergreen pacer Charlie May was the star at CANFIELD (30th & Sept. 1), as the winner of $2.3 million in purses matched the 1:53.3 track record set in 2023 by Tan Man . . . One of the older county fair track records is the 1:58.1 trotting standard at WAUSEON (30th & Sept. 2nd) set in 2009 by Rompaway Beau. It didn’t fall this year, but it was matched by Herecomescharlie B, handled by driver-trainer Dan Venier . . . Rosy Weaver continued to chip away at Betty Clegg’s lead in the trainers’ race. Her four wins at Wauseon and one more at MARIETTA (31st & Sept. 1st) put her just one behind.

SEPTEMBER — Driver Jason Beattie (six winners) and trainer Hank LeVan (four winners) grabbed the lion’s share of the purse checks at KENTON (3rd & 4th) . . . Clegg and Weaver took their trainers’ battle to MCCONNELVILLE (5th & 6th) and, again, they traded winners – three each. It left Clegg ahead by one, 75-74 , with 10 fairs to go . . . Again, Clegg and Weaver equally shared the winner’s circle, this time at WOOSTER (9th & 10th) with each sending out three winners . . . Emanuel Miller and Cameron McCown probably circle next year’s date of the fair stop at UPPER SANDUSKY (9th & 10th). They absolutely crushed it this year, each winning six races . . . My Next Chapter, a sophomore trotting gelding, sliced four-fifths of a second off the track record at OLD WASHINGTON (10th) with his two-lap tour in 2:00.1. The old mark was set last year by All About Faith. And, if there was a fair where Rosy Weaver took control of the trainers’ derby, it was this one in Guernsey County. She had four winners to just one by Betty Clegg . . . Purse checks were flying in all directions at MONTPELIER (10th), as 11 different trainers sent out the winners of the 12 races. Only Hank LeVan had a paddock double . . . Five days of DELAWARE (14th thru 18th) obviously yielded a Jug winner in Louprint, but the Buckeye regulars visited the winner’s circle, including Weaver and Clegg, both with two triumphs . . . Mansai, a 5-year-old trotting gelding, was on his toes for the ASHLAND (15th) doubleheader, as he equaled Dunkin’s 2:00.2 track record set in 2023. Weaver had a four-bagger, while Clegg scored twice . . . It was game, set, and trainers’ match at DOVER (19th & 20th) when Rosy Weaver sent out eight winners over the two programs to just one for last year’s champion, Betty Clegg . . . Weaver put an exclamation mark on her record summer of 2025 when she logged her final three winners on the circuit at COSHOCTON (29th & 30th). It gave her 100 scores . . .

OCTOBER — Aaron Johnson was the standout performer at DAYTON (5th), as he trained and drove three winners . . . Good old LANCASTER (8th & 9th), the 67th and final fair of the year, served up race cards 129 and 130, and when Vintage Sauvignon, champion driver Drew Neill’s fifth winner at the Fairfield County venue, crossed the line in the last race on the second day, he was the 1,562nd winner of the season.

Photo courtesy of Brad Conrad