Harness racing teams are family at the fair
FRANKLIN TWP — While the harness races held at places like The Meadows Racetrack and Casino are more glamorous, the drivers who work the harness racing circuit say the Big Butler Fair is a different — and much anticipated — atmosphere.
“People are really nice,” said harness racing driver Aaron Johnston, 27, of Evans City. ”It's like a family.”
His younger brother, Shawn, 25, agrees.
“It's a family atmosphere,” Shawn said. “You don't find that stuff at other places.”
The Pennsylvania Sire Stakes harness races occur year-round, including at 20 fairs throughout the state. Unlike racing at county fairs, races held at casinos and racetracks allow betting.
The drivers, many of whom also train standardbred horses for harness racing, don their “colors” or brightly decorated racing jumpsuits, and hop on a sulky to speed around a dirt racetrack behind a horse that is not allowed to gallop or canter.
The races are separated by gender and the horse's age as well as whether the horses are trotting or pacing.
Trotting is the normal alternate-foot trotting gait, albeit much faster than a normal saddle horse. Pacing is when the horse moves the legs on each side of its body in unison.
Neither trotters nor pacers can break their gait while racing.
Trish Adams, the state Sire Stakes racehorse secretary, said standardbred yearlings that were sired by certified stallions in the state program begin training when they reach 1 year old and start racing at age 2.
“After you've done (training) for a while, you get a feel for the ones that want to be good,” Adams said. “Trainers can get a feel for their ability when they're pretty young.”
The action was frenetic at the fair Friday morning, with drivers leaping from one sulky and onto another for the next race.
Legions of support workers helped swap out horses and tack up the next equine racer for the drivers.
In the second race, Aaron Johnston edged out his brother, Shawn, for the win among the six 3-year-old fillies.
Aaron drove a standardbred filly named Broadway and Shawn drove Woman Possessed to second place.
The third race saw a 3-year-old pacer, Cirrus De Vie, driven by harness racing legend Roger Hammer, 72, match the Big Butler Fair track record at two-fifths of a second over two minutes.
Bedford County native Hammer, his face and helmet flecked in mud, said he doesn't really know why he's been able to race all these years. Hammer started harness racing at 16.
“I guess you've got to have good stock,” said the affable Hammer.
Hammer, who is training 22 horses in addition to traveling the driving circuit, always enjoys seeing his friends at the fair barn.
“I like Butler,” Hammer said. “It's more like a family thing here.”
Owners choose drivers to race their horses based on their success in the field.Julie Krenitsky of Middlesex Township owns Bindi, a 3-year old filly who was driven by Aaron Johnston in the sixth race Friday.“I've used him in the past and he's done really well for us,” she said of Johnston. “He cares about the horses.”Bindi and Johnston did not win their race, but that didn't dampen the enthusiasm of any of the trio.“I love horses and I grew up riding,” Krenitsky said. “When you purchase a yearling at a sale and you have to break it and turn it into a racehorse, it's enjoyable.”Krenitsky and her husband, Bob, have a stable of 25 standardbreds, half of which they own and half they're training for others.Johnston said his father, Gary Johnston and grandfather, Chuck Moses, were into harness racing for decades before he and his brother came along.Growing up in the sport, it was just natural for the boys to hop on a sulky.“I like the competitiveness, beating other people and making money,” Aaron said as he prepared for yet another race Friday.He explained 50 percent of each purse goes to the winning horse's owner, and the rest is split between the owners of the horses taking second through fifth place. The owners then pay the drivers.“You can make some good money,” Aaron said.Shawn, affectionately referred to as “Shawny,” called himself a fast-paced guy who is the perfect fit for harness racing.“I like to go fast,” he said. “It's a rush.”Shawn wishes the Big Butler Fair would hold harness racing at night with a crowd of spectators instead of in the morning, when only a dozen or so fans attend.“They've got the lights here to do it,” he said.Another Butler County driver is Brady Brown, 25, of Slippery Rock, who is also a harness racing kid. His grandfather and father, Robert and Terry Brown, respectively, were into harness racing for decades before he climbed up on his first sulky.“It's an adrenaline rush because you're going 35 mph,” Brown said. “It's fun, and even more fun when you win races.”Brown wishes more people would come and watch the excitement.“It's almost like going to see a football game, but it's horse racing,” he said.Brown drove in six races Friday.“You have to be patient and smart out there,” Brown said of driving, “and always listen and don't be afraid to take advice.”Brown said harness racing was more popular and drew a larger crowd when he was a youth.“But it's still fun,” he said. “It's amazing.”He said the sport is not without its share of danger, as the sulkies and wildly flailing, half-ton horses dash around the track.Last year, Brown was involved in a crash at the Meadows on a muddy, sloppy track.“The horse in front of me wrecked as we were turning for home,” Brown said. “I got catapulted and the other guy got catapulted.”Brown and the other driver suffered some bruising and road rash. The other driver cracked his heel as well.“I've been down plenty of times,” Brown said nonchalantly. “I just shake it off and get on with it.”The Pennsylvania Sire Stakes harness racing schedule is available at www.agriculture.pa.gov.
