Six track records fell during the annual two-day harness racing meeting at the St. Joseph County Grange Fair, held Monday, Sept. 16 and Tuesday, Sept. 17.
Guns A Brazen wrote a new all-age trotting track record in the $15,068 three-year-old male trot on Monday's Michigan-Sired Colt Stakes program, vaulting from his second-row starting spot in line to trainer/driver Raymond Kinney and defeating Striking Chips in 1:59.3. The sophomore Brazen-Premier Glitter gelding has now won eight of 10 starts this year for the partnership of Sandra Kinney and Chad and Jared Kreeger, and his new standard erased the 30-year-old divisional and all-age standard of 2:01 established by Priority Big Boss.
Capella Star opened the card with a 2:03 win over Libbys Lucky Lady in the $13,514 two-year-old filly trot, shaving nearly two seconds off Rhianna Davine's 2:04.4 record, set in 2005. Trainer/driver Lavern Miller owns the Big Rigs-Dreamy Secret filly, who has now won five of 10 career starts.
Fresh off a hard-earned win in her $134,595 Michigan-sired championship event, Forever A Flirt rolled back into the winner's circle — and the Centreville record books — with a 2:00 win over Junebug in the $14,865 three-year-old filly pace, one-fifth of a second faster than Doowrah Krysten's 31-year-old track record. Brad Kramer, who led all drivers with three wins on the eight-race card, steered the Bondi Hanover-Always A Romance filly to her eighth seasonal win for trainer Kelly Goodwin and co-owner Crystal Terrell.
Kramer and Goodwin teamed up to win the next race, the $14,865 three-year-old male pace, with Kourageous Key in 1:58.4, tying the divisional record set in 1995 by Jerrys Cadet. Goodwin co-owns the Manhardt-Kwani Key gelding, now victorious in eight of 10 seasonal tries, with Sarah Goodwin.
The sophomore male pacing and all-age records fell outright in Tuesday's Michigan-Bred Colt Stakes when Legendary Doowrah and trainer/driver Greg Bateson defeated Born Wild in the $10,811 three-year-old male pace in 1:58. Edwin Harwood owns the Bit Of A Legend N-Artistic Hanover gelding, who has now won 10 of 19 starts as a sophomore.
Driven by Tim Driver for owner/trainer June Du Russel, Broadway Liberty's 1:59.3 mile in a $1,351 Free-For-All Trot set a new standard for older trotters and tied Guns A Brazen's day-old all-age record, and trainer Kim Pluta's RB became the fastest older pacer in Centreville history with a 2:00.2 win in rein to Ty Goodell.
Jojo In The Sky made the final of his 444 career starts in a $1,351 Free-For-All Pace, capping his career with a third-place finish. In all, the 15-year-old son of Whosurboy won 36 times, finished third or better 131 times and earned $189,544 for owner Nancy Karnatz and trainer Jennifer Carpenter, who have raced Jojo In The Sky for his entire career.
(Michigan Harness Horsemen's Association)