Welcome to Ohio Harness Horsemen’s Association

FCHHA Honors Horses, Trainers at Annual Banquet

By Martin Graham

The Fayette County Harness Horsemen's Association (FCHHA) held its annual awards banquet on Saturday, Feb. 28, at the Mahan Building with a large crowd in attendance.

Each year, local horsemen come together to celebrate their accomplishments in the harness horse racing industry. These awards not only help to highlight amazing racing animals but also the hard-working trainers, grooms, and owners who keep them cared for day after day and year after year. This year, 11 horses were honored with an award as well as the top driver and trainer for Fayette County.

The evening began with an hour of social time followed by a catered meal by Carson Farmhouse Favorites. The guest speaker for the event, Ohio Harness Horsemen Association President Scott Mogan, then took to the podium to announce a number of important events this year, including the prestigious Breeders Crown coming to Scioto Downs. The Breeders Crown, which is an annual series of harness races in the United States and Canada, is considered the top event for harness racing, and many in attendance were excited to hear the races will come to Ohio.

"This is a wonderful turnout and the first time I have ever been to your event," Mogan said following dinner. "(Robert Schwartz) called me and asked if I could talk to you about the upcoming Breeders Crown coming to Ohio. It is going to be an exciting time. It will be coming here the 16th and 17th of October for the eliminations and the 23rd and 24th for the finals. If you have never been to the Breeders Crown and you love horses, which I know this whole room does, you do not want to miss it."

Following the short speech by Mogan, Jeremy Moore and FCHHA Director Gary Crawford announced the winners of the 2025 awards. The awards are given based on performance for last year and are split based on the horses racing gait (trot or pace), age and gender (colt or filly):

  • 2-year-old colt trotter: Perfect Range, owned by Bret Schwartz (trainer), Racehorse Express, and Michael Ferguson
  • 2-year-old filly trotter: Aesthetically, owned by Bret Schwartz (trainer) and Racehorse Express
  • 3-year-old colt trotter: Go Away AC, owned by Robert Buerger and trained by Mark Winters
  • 3-year-old filly trotter: Long Armof Justice, owned by Mark Winters (trainer), Ronald Glover, Jeremy McGraw, and Mitchell Bean
  • 2-year-old colt pacer: Ain't No Fire, owned by John Ackley and Charles Taylor and trained by Travis Redden
  • 2-year-old filly pacer: She'safirewoman, owned by the Harry Horowitz Estate and trained by Mark Winters
  • 3-year-old colt pacer: Southern Rockfest, owned by Bret Schwartz (trainer) and Brian Larrick
  • 3-year-old filly pacer: Fearless Lizzy, owned by Melissa Sword and Larry Six (trainer)
  • Aged horse and gelding trotter: Team Bravo, owned by Stargate Stables and trained by Mark Winters
  • Aged horse and gelding pacer: Mach Out Knockout, owned and trained by Bucky Troute
  • Aged mare pacer: Fear The Ex, owned by Bret Schwartz (trainer) and Brian Larrick

The FCHHA honored two more individuals for the 2025 season — Charles Bolen was named the leading driver, and James Bolen who was named the leading trainer.

"I would like to thank all of the board of directors for putting this together," Bruce Kirk, FCHHA president, said after the event. "This is 65 years of doing this, so it is quite the accomplishment, and that shows with the amount of support we got tonight. Fayette County is the heartland of harness racing. I think we have more drivers and trainers in Fayette County than nearly anywhere else in the country. There are a lot of great trainers, owners, and drivers in the county."

Finally, the board of directors thanked the many sponsors for the trophies. The sponsors included Merchants National Bank, Buckley Brothers Inc., McDonald & Son Inc. Feed & Grain, Mark Winter Racing Stable, Kirk's Furniture Co. Inc., Midland Acres, Reiterman Feed & Supply, Rick & Marlene Martindale, Racehorse Express, Bolen Stables, GL Pettit LLC, S&D Family Tire and Auto, Misfit Farm Standardbreds, and Jack's Manufacturing Inc.