It was a beautiful track-record-tying day on Saturday (April 8) at the Hawkinsville Harness Horse Training Center, as the homestretch was lined with hundreds of fans for the 44th annual Harness Festival.

Despite heavy storms in the area earlier this week, track manager Jim Valiante had the racing surface in good condition, as 12 qualifying races went to post over middle Georgia’s red clay track.

Adding his name to the record books was Bourbon Chase, who made his 2017 debut in the eighth feature race of the day. The four-year-old brown gelding, trained and driven by Dan Shetler of Indianapolis, came out of the three-hole to wire the field and win by eight lengths in 1:54.4, besting runner-up Dinky Dune, trained and driven by Dane May.

The effort tied the track record previously shared by Tug River Claude and Friskie Adam. Bourbon Chase, jointly owned by Shetler and daughter, Kristin, took a lifetime best mark of 1:50.3 last year. The young pacer has more than $153,000 in lifetime earnings.

The ninth feature trot saw Fly Jesse Fly, a four-year-old bay gelding, get an impressive trip by trainer Ron Otto of Jefferson, Ohio. Driver Sally Gilbert went to the front with Captain John Henry while Fly Jesse Fly sat in the garden spot until the top of the stretch. The competitive field was all bunched up as they headed home with Fly Jesse Fly besting Dan Shetler and Fireballs Prayers by a half-length in 1:58.

Fly Jesse Fly is owned by Robert Sidley of Painesville, Ohio, and James Otto of Jefferson, Ohio.

(Evenlyn Barella)