CENTREVILLE, Mich. — 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 $11,150 3-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 $10,000 2-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 $99,600 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 $11,000 3-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 $11,000 3-year-old male pace, with Kourageous Key in 1:58.4, tying the divisional record set in 1995 by Jerry's 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 (Sept. 17) Michigan-Bred Colt Stakes when Legendary Doowrah and trainer-driver Greg Bateson defeated Born Wild in the $8,000 3-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.
Broadway Liberty's (Tim Driver) 1:59.3 mile in a $1,000 Free-For-All Trot set a new standard for older trotters and tied Guns A Brazen's day-old all-age record, and RB (Ty Goodell) became the fastest older pacer in Centreville history with a 2:00.2 win.
Jojo In The Sky made the final of his 444 career starts in a $1,000 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 $189,272 for owner Nancy Karnatz and trainer Jennifer Carpenter, who have raced Jojo In The Sky for his entire career.
To watch replays, visit the Michigan Harness Horsemen's Association YouTube page (https://www.youtube.com/@MichHarnessHorse).
