LOWVILLE — The early afternoon rain and thunderstorms may have put a damper on the day for many Lewis County fairgoers, but the drivers and organizers of the New York Sire Stakes harness races took it all in stride. The races continued despite the puddles on the track and the distant rumble of thunder.
"If the starting car can operate, then it's safe for the horses," said Gordon F. Waugh, Vernon, the presiding judge for the races. Rather than beginning in a starting gate, harness race horses begin behind a pace truck.
Wednesday's storms delayed the New York Sire Stakes harness races for only half an hour. There were 13 races in all, each a mile long.
Unlike the New York-Vermont Colt Stakes harness races held Tuesday at the Lewis County Fair, the horses for the New York Sire Stakes must be bred in the state, said fair director Brenda Wilmot, Corinth. The purses tend to be larger and more horses tend to compete in the Sire Stakes races.
"It's a great sport," Mr. Waugh said. "It's something I've loved all my life."
Mr. Waugh has been a lifelong horseman. He has trained for and driven in harness races for almost 45 years. Even though he retired from the action of the races, he continues judging.
Mr. Waugh is particularly keen on spotting drivers who abuse the horses with their whips. Drivers, who sit in a cart pulled behind the race horse, use their whips to hit the shaft of the cart or the saddle. Mr. Waugh penalizes drivers who repeatedly strike their horses instead.
"Harness racing is just something that gets in your blood," said Cheri-Lee Ellert, Vernon, Mr. Waugh's daughter. She has driven in harness races for about 20 years.
For Mrs. Ellert, a rainstorm is probably the last thing to keep her from racing. She took some time off from racing for the past two years after being diagnosed with cancer in her sinuses. After recovering from a series of operations, Mrs. Ellert hoped finally to return to racing, but for a slight problem with the horse.
"He doesn't like me," she said. "From the moment we got him, he's always obeyed my husband, but I can't ride him."
The horse, A Bag of Karats, finished third last year in points. He is owned and trained by Mrs. Ellert and her husband, Anthony.
Mr. Ellert drove the 3-year-old trotter in the seventh race, coming in second to Winter Wind, owned by Frank A. Garguilo, Gloversville, and trained and driven by Henry Westbrook III.
Wednesday's fair also featured the 4x4 Truck Pull at the grandstand.
"It always brings a lot of great local people with the 'my truck can beat your truck' sort of thing," said John W. Burr, fair entertainment director.
"This is one of the better fairs around," Mr. Waugh said. "Maybe not the biggest, but the community gets really involved."
The Lewis County Fair continues today with Senior Citizens' Day. The lawn tractor pull takes place at noon, and the New York State Truck and Tractor Pull starts at 7 p.m. Tickets to the truck and tractor pull are $12 each, $8 for children ages 6 to 12 and free for children younger than 6.
"Midnight Madness" starts at 9 p.m. today with wristbands for $20 allowing unlimited rides until the fair closes. Admission to the fair is free and parking is available on the fairgrounds for $3 per day.
