Local, Area Harness Horses Win At Kickoff Event

Aniemaybombay (No. 3, far outside) with Cornelius Cavett in the sulky, rallied in the stretch for owner-trainer Jacob Roedl of Edgewood.

PHOTOS, STORY BY KURT BECKER

DECATUR -- Local and area harness horses won three of nine races held Saturday at the Macon County Fair, as part of a program which served as the kickoff event for the 2021 Illinois county fair racing season.

Hot To Trot Sparky, a homebred for Charles and Cary Doehring of Brownstown, got things started by going wire-to-wire to win by 25 lengths in his career debut in the Illinois Big Ten Colt Stakes for two-year-old trotting colts and geldings, covering the one-mile distance in 2:12.1. Trainer Jordan Patton had the winning drive.

In the Big Ten Stakes for two-year-old pacing fillies, Aniemaybombay rallied from 17 lengths off the pace to score in 2:10 for owner-trainer Jacob Roedl of Edgewood. Cornelius Cavett drove the first-time starter.

Later in the day, Pretty Iris captured the distaff division of the Illinois Harness Horsemen’s Association Pace, leading all the way for trainer Ray Hanna of Altamont and driver Matt Avenatti in 2:02.3. The six-year-old mare is owned by Mary Lea Jeffers and Adele Jeffers Everett of Flat Rock.

Hanna and Avenatti also teamed for a third-place effort in the Big Ten event for two-year-old pacing colts and geldings with Crooked Sage.

In other action, the Roedl Stable notched second-place finishes with Ima Cheaten Girl and Balance Bean in the Big Ten Stakes for freshman trotting fillies and colts, respectively. Flying Marvin posted a runner-up effort in the IHHA Pace for horses and geldings at the end of the afternoon, giving the Roedl barn a win and three runner-up finishes from four starters on the day.

Trainer-driver Darla Lohman of Effingham also had a busy afternoon, with a pair of third-place finishes and a pair of fourth-place efforts from four starters. All four horses competed in the Big Ten Stakes.

T.E. Harre Jr., formerly of Brownstown, owned two starters on the card, as TE’s Game Changer finished fourth in the Big Ten Three-Year-Old Trot, before TE’s Smoothas Silk finished third behind Pretty Iris in the IHHA Filly and Mare Pace.

Big Approach, owned by Elizabeth Roedl of Edgewood, finished sixth in the Big Ten stakes for three-year-old trotters after breaking stride twice in the mile.

Saturday’s races marked the first county fair racing program in Illinois since September of 2019, following a disrupted schedule in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cary Doehring poses with Hot To Trot Sparky.

Pretty Iris, trained by Ray Hanna, heads for the finish in front driven by Matt Avenatti.