The annual four-day harness racing meet at the Shenandoah County Fair in Woodstock, Virginia kicks off on Wednesday, Aug. 28 at 12 noon with an 11-race card featuring 52 horses and $22,000 USD in purse money. Six pacing events will be contested to complement five trots.

Five of the races Wednesday are exclusive to two-year-old horses including a trio where all entrants will be making their first lifetime start -- the second race with freshman trotters, the seventh with freshman pacers and the day's final race with freshman filly trotters.

The kickoff race is named "In Honor of All Veterans" and recognizes active and retired service members in the Shenandoah Valley. Interestingly, that first harness race features five veteran pacers aged six through 14, two of whom will be making career start number 322.  

The elder statesman is Big N Bad, who brings a five-race winning streak into Wednesday's card although he will be making his first start in 10 months. The 14-year-old Badlands Hanover gelding is owned and trained by Jimmy Viars and has bankrolled $850,107 to date. His most recent streak of wins all came at the 2023 Shenandoah Downs fall meet. Roger Hammer's R N Nate is a 12-year-old Nuclear Breeze gelding, who has 42 career wins from 321 lifetime starts and earnings of $283,310.

Also in the field are six-year-old Ideal Big Guy ($126,931), seven-year-old Windemere Frank ($146,373) and 11-year-old Brooklynite ($$247,612). The five pacers combined have made 1,182 starts.

Some of Wednesday's named races recognize individuals who have been instrumental in the decades-long success of the Shenandoah County Fair harness races, including Terry Kibler, Wilson Ryman, Winston Lineweaver and many others.

The fair meet continues this week with cards on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 12 noon. After a two-week break, the ninth annual Shenandoah Downs pari-mutuel harness season kicks off on Sept. 14 and continues every Saturday and Sunday through Oct. 27.

(Shenandoah Downs)