Local Contingent Garners Big Wins As Harness Races End

ALTAMONT -- Once again, the local contingent tallied some big victories on the final day of harness racing at the Effingham County Fair.

In the opening race of the day, the Filly/Mare Pace, Angela Coleman guided Dune On Time to victory in 2:03 1/5. Dune On Time took a four length lead at the half but Duneside Life and Susan Sage started closing the gape in second and third respectively.

The three battled down the homestretch with Coleman guiding Dune On Time to the win in 2:03 1/5. The victory was Coleman's first of her driving career and . . . she defeated nephew Kyle Husted who finished second with Duneside Life. Both horses are owned by Carl Becker's Fair Meadow Farms.

Then in the second race, the Non-winners $1,000 Lifetime Trot, legendary driver Randall Finn picked up his 118th victory at the Effingham County Fair.

Finn, a former 10-time racing driver at the fair, took Princess Ashley to the early lead and never relinquished that lead throughout, finishing 3 1/2 lengths ahead of the other two horses for the victory in 2:08 2/5.

The Harness Hall of Famer claimed his first win at the Effingham County Fair in August of 1968. He won his first driver's award in 1974 then again in 1982, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1999, 2003 and 2009.

Finn then made the next race, the Non-winners $1,000 Lifetime Trot, an exciting one.

King Xerxes with Clay Simpson driving, took the early lead with Sister Sage, driven by Finn, in second place. King Xerxes led by three at the backstretch. Day Of Decision, driven by Kyle Husted, moved up to challenge for second but went offstride. On the final turn, Finn guided Sister Sage up alongside King Xerxes and the pair dueled it out for a photo finish.

King Xerxes picked up the victory in 2:05 3/5 for the second win for the three-year-old who had won earlier in the summer at the White County Fair.

Husted was the next local winner as he guided Perfectly Dune to victory in the Non-winners $1,000 Lifetime Pace.

Husted took Perfectly Dune to the first win of her career in 2:09 3/5. Perfectly Dune led all the way but Rockin Roxine, driven by Dakota Birch, battled alongside down the homestretch. But Perfectly Dune finished out winning by a length. It was the ninth victory by an Effingham County driver.

There was a big age difference in drivers in the Amateur Driving Race, Division I. Two youngsters who attend Newton High School were Payton Birch and Dylan Doucette. Birch is 15. Then it went to 34-year-old Mitchell Titus and finally to 85-year-old Jack De Rousse.

De Rousse guided Poker Joe out to the early lead and led by 2 1/2 lengths with Finnittowinit, driven by Doucette, in second. Summer Party, driven by Titus, came on strong to take the lead on the south turn.

Then it was side-by-side before Poker Joe moved into the lead and Summer Party went offstride. Poker Joe won by two lengths in 2:08 4/5. The 85-year-old De Rousse has picked up wins as a driver before but only with horses he owns. That ownership means he still is an amateur driver.

The second division of the Amateur Driving Race saw the fastest Amateur driving time in the history of the Effingham County Fair.

Hillcrest Dynamite took the early lead and went 30 1/5 in the opening quarter. Hillcrest Dynamite led by one length at the half. Hillcrest Dynamite and Herehecomesarockin were side by side before Hillcrest broke stride. Here came Jackon Loy with Feel My Pain down the homestretch.

Feel My Pain ended up the winner in 1:59 4/5. Loy, from Beecher City, repeated as champion after winning in 2003.

The final race of the fair, the Open Maiden Pace, was claimed easily by My Decision with Barak Patton in the sulky. My Decision headed to the top and went wire-to-wire, winning by 10 lengths in 2:07 3/5.

My Decision is co-owned by Ray Hanna and trained by Hanna of Altamont. Eleven winenrs this week were co-owned or owned by residents of Effingham County.

Mike Rogers ended up capturing the driver's championship. It's the third straight year Rogers has won the title and the seventh time overall. Rogers won with 27 points followed by Barak Patton in second with 22.

Thursday's Results

Race One

Filly/Mare Pace

1. Dune On Time (Angela Coleman), 2. Duneside Life (Kyle Husted), 3. Susan  Sage (Darla Martin Lohman), 4. Always Sammee (C. Alan Finn), 5. Loyz Happy Corner (Michael Rogers)

Scratched -- Princess Oshie.

Time -- :32 3/5, 1:02, 1:32 3/5, 2:03 1/5.

Race Two

Non-winners $1,000 Lifetime Trot

AE: 2-Year-Old Non-winners, Two Races

1. Princess Ashley (Randall Finn), 2. Drinks On Betsy (Paul Cavett), 3. Sei Unica (Barak Patton)

Time -- :32, 1;02 2/5, 1:34 4/5, 2:08 2/5.

Race Three

Non-winners $1,000 Lifetime Pace

AE: 2-Year-Old Non-winners Two Races, Division I

1. King Xerxes (Clay Simpson), 2. Sister Sage (Randall Finn), 3. Steppin Up (Paul Cavett), 4. Day Of Decision (Kyle Husted)

Time -- :32 3/5, 1:04 1/5, 1:34 4/5, 2:05 3/5.

Race Four

Non-winners $1,000 Lifetime Pace

AE: 2-Year-Old Non-winners Two Races, Division II

1. Perfectly Dune (Kyle Husted), 2. Rockin Roxine (Dakota Birch), 3. 3. Left Lane (Randall Finn), 4. Super Soul Patrol (Mitchell Titus)

Time -- :33 4/5, 1:07 4/5, 1:40 3/5, 2:09 3/5.

Race Five

Amateur Driving Race, Division I

1. Poker Joe (Jack  De Rousse), 2. Summer Party (Mitchell Titus), 3. Finnittowinit (Dylan Doucette), 4. Sugarcreekwillow (Payton Birch)

Time -- :33 3/5, 1:08, 1:38 4/5, 2:08 4.5

Race Six

Amateur Driving Race, Division II

1. Feel My Pain (Jackson Loy), 2. Herehecomesarockin (Hunter Michl), 3. Hillcrest Dynamite (Raymond Morgan)

Time -- :30 1/5, :59 3/5, 1:29 3/5, 1:59 4/5.

Race Seven

Open Maiden Pace

1. My Decision (Barak Patton), 2. Summarize (Michael Rogers), 3. Miss K Sissy (Trenton Watson), 4. Hth Barbie H (C. Alan Finn)

Time -- :33 3/5, 1:07 1/5, 1:39 1/5, 2:07 3/5.