Harrison County connections win Kentucky harness races

With an abbreviated schedule of Indiana county fairgrounds harness racing not slated to begin until Saturday, Hoosier horsemen have been crossing the river to compete in Kentucky with horses that are eligible there.

Last Monday, the fairgrounds in Mayfield hosted 13 races for 2- and 3-year-olds born in Kentucky, and three of those were won by horses with Harrison County connections.

Charlie Conrad took the winner’s purse with his freshman pacing colt, Seaside Hill. The Brock Stable won with a 2-year-old pacing filly named Shakira’s Song. Both horses are also eligible to compete in Ohio county fairs.

Trainer Simon Girod of Salem, who often trains in Corydon, won with a 3-year-old trotting colt.

At Hoosier Park in Anderson last week, local horses were active. Winyard Hanover, from the Brock Stable, was fifth in his race Tuesday night. Charlie Conrad raced Bludhaven, a pacing colt owned with Mike Allen of Corydon, to a third-place finish. Conrad also raced a trotter named Mt. Swanmore to a seventh-place finish.

In a Thursday night race at Hoosier Park, the Conrad pacing stallion Uncaged and Hayswood Ron, a pacing gelding owned by Hayswood Farm of Corydon and King Racing of Ohio, squared off in the same race. Uncaged was fourth in 1:53:4, and Hayswood Ron was eighth in 1:54:4.

On Friday, Hoosier Park conducted qualifying races for beginning 2-year-olds. Nearly 100 freshmen trotters and pacers attempted the track for the first time. Charlie Conrad qualified four horses, some of which will head to the county fairgrounds in Converse next week to begin Indiana Sired Fair Circuit racing. The schedule of these fairgrounds events this summer includes a stop in Corydon on Aug. 19.