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Great Darke County Fair...
$10,000 Gene
Riegle Memorial Open Race
Racing returns to Greenville, Ohio on Friday night, August 17 for the
Great Darke County Fair’s annual week long race meet. Racing also takes
place on Saturday, August 18, afternoon and night, and on Thursday,
August 23 and Friday, August 24 in the afternoon and night. Afternoon
post times are 1 pm with evening post times at 7 pm.
Friday and Saturday night will feature the Ohio Colt Racing Association
events. Friday night also will feature The Terry Thomas Memorial
Signature Series Trot. Saturday night will feature the Rhys Bowman
Memorial Signature Series Pace.
The following Thursday and Friday night sessions will feature the Dr.
HM Parshall Memorial Futurity. All the sessions will host several
overnight events for both trotters and pacers.
Closing night will feature the first edition of the Gene Riegle
Memorial Open Pace. The event is open to the world, with no more than 8
starters; the top eight 2012 money earners entered will have
preference, no trainer’s entries. The event is carded as one dash for a
purse of $10,000.
The week long racing meet is dedicated to the memory of Darke County
native and Harness Racing Hall of Famer, Gene Riegle. The celebration
will include a pictorial essay in the grandstand on race days which
will give all the fans and friends a look back at the life and
accomplishments of Gene Riegle’s harness racing past.
Equine artist, Ann Lufkin has been commissioned by the Darke County
Harness Horsemen’s Association to do a painting of Gene and Champion
Arts Place, which will also be on display. The painting will be given
to the family in a track side presentation on closing night. The family
then will present the painting to the Harness Racing Hall of Fame and
Museum in a track side presentation on Jug Day in Delaware, Ohio.
Closing night will feature the giveaway to the first 1,000 fans buying
a racing program a Gene Riegle Bobble head figurine.
Nightly there will be t-shirt giveaways to the fans in the stands as
well as the fans that line the track by the Darke County Harness
Horsemen’s Association.
Several amateur driving races have been carded and the Race Office is
looking for both trotters and pacers to be used for these events.
Anyone with a horse to be used for these events should contact Tim
Harless at 937-564-3393.
The Great Darke County Fair wishes to thank all of the sponsors and the
warm outpouring of contributions to make this year’s events possible.
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