MOUNT VERNON – Ammon Hershberger needed a smoke break.
One hand on his hip, the other rapidly lifting and lowering his cigarette, Hershberger stood outside his horses’ stable after his first harness race on Monday night at the Knox County Fair.
The Mount Vernon native continued to sweat long after the race, taking frequent, aggressive hits of his cigarette while he talked things over with friends and family who came to watch him and his brother, Jonas, compete.
He could not believe what had just happened.
Despite finishing first in the race, and not just by a nose, Hershberger’s colt, Ilikethenitelife, was moved back to a second-place finish by the judge panel because of a rule infraction. He had allegedly broken stride at the start of the race, which would require him to lose ground, according to race rules.
The judges believed that he did not lose ground, though, and thus disqualified him from first place. They said afterwards that they could have moved him back further from second, but the third place finisher was so far behind that it would not have been just.
Hershberger fumed on the track after he heard the news, arguing his case to the judges over a walkie talkie, the arms of his maroon-and-white uniform outstretched. Hershberger believed that he had lost significant ground after his horse broke stride, but he could not convince the judges to reconsider their decision.
“I was a little ticked off about it, trust me,” Hershberger said later. “It is what it is.”
For Hershberger, the decision was the difference between taking home half of the near $4,000 race purse or taking home a quarter of it.
“I felt like I did all that, lost ground,” he said at the end of the night, still perturbed by the ruling. “Obviously, if you watch the race, she was right up there with the lead horse coming off the gate and she ran, and then I got back in third and stuff. So I personally think it was a bad calling on the judges’ part.”
More important than the judges’ decision, though, would be the way Hershberger handled the 45-minute gap in between his two races. He fumed, he vented, he paced, but he could not let it fester.
As the rain began to fall harder than ever on a soggy summer night, Hershberger took the track again for the eighth race of the night. The race pitted Ammon, 42, against his brother, Jonas, 40.
It was a tight race for the first lap and a half, but Ammon found his revenge on the home stretch. He mercilessly burst past the competition en route to his first official victory of the night.
There was no doubt about this one.
“Right at the top of the stretch, coming off the turn, the other horse got tired enough to let me out and stuff off the two-hole,” Ammon explained. After a displeasing first race, he seemed satisfied with the finale – especially in his hometown, on his home track.
“It’s always cool to get a couple wins on your home track in front of everybody, and then you get a lot of friends and family who show up, rooting for you and stuff like that,” Ammon said. “It’s definitely a big plus to be able to win here.”
Jonas finished third, saying afterwards that he tried to follow his brother the whole race but became disconnected on the final stretch when he got caught on the inside of the track.
Even after 15 years of harness racing, Ammon admitted Monday night that he still had to fight to refocus mentally after his first race. He said that he had to accept the result and move on as quickly as possible, which was no easy task.
“I tried to leave my race on the racetrack – what’s happened (has) happened. You go to the next one and you move on. You can’t carry one race to the next,” Ammon said.
While Ammon finished first and second in his two races, facing a field of drivers and colts from across the state (and even some from Pennsylvania, Mississippi and Florida), Jonas took home two first-place finishes and two third-place finishes in his seven races.
Standing in the same spot as before, surrounded by the same friends and family, Ammon needed another smoke break. He’d just gotten back from the photo opportunity after his race eight win, where the purse was also near $4,000, and he appeared spent.
Mud from the rain-soaked track spotted his face and he’d cooled down considerably from his last cigarette. He smoked this one slow, smiling with family and chatting with horse owners, visibly tired but at the very least satisfied.
For someone who got off on the wrong foot on Monday night, on his home track, things hadn’t turned out so bad after all.
“That was a tough loss, that first one,” he said, smiling. “You know, it happens.”
Race results
Race 1 – Three year-old colts and geldings
- Got Some (Thornville, OH)
- Twilight Twist (Mount Vernon, OH)
- Dontteasehim (Brunswick, OH)
Race 2 – Two year-old fillies
- Caribbean Moon (Hernando, FL)
- Sleepin in the Sun (Ravenna, OH)
- Lady Rock On (Plain City, OH)
Race 3 – Two year-old fillies
- Devious Dame (Berlin Center, OH)
- Rainbow Babe (Bristolville, OH)
- Light My Candle (New Springfield, OH)
Race 4 – Three year-old fillies
- Mi Amada Juanita (Jackson, MS)
- Ilikethenitelife (Utica, OH)
- McCheetah (Whitehouse, OH)
Race 5
- Simmy (Williamsport, OH)
- Team Zordin (Mount Gilead, OH)
- Big Boy Toy (Gambier, OH)
Race 6 – Two year-old colts and geldings
- Big Booty Rudy (Waterford, OH)
- Rockette Baby (Millersport, OH)
- Deena’s Lil John (Plain City, OH)
Race 7 – Three year-old fillies
- Precious Lil Devil (Stockport, OH)
- Dazzlin Dragon (Sunbury, OH)
- Catalinacruiser (Millersport, OH)
Race 8 – Two year-old fillies
- Hotel Dragin (Mount Vernon, OH)
- Spring in the Air (Scenery Hill, PA)
- Friskie Jolie (Stockport, OH)
Race 9 – Three year-old fillies
- Rockin Sue (Valley City, OH)
- Ucia Hanover (Scenery Hill, PA)
- Don’tmesswithannie (Pompano Beach, FL)
Race 10 – Two year-old colts and geldings
- Two O’clock Johnny (Junction City, OH)
- Aeroblast (Utica, OH)
- Mr. Judge (Whitehouse, OH)
Race 11 – Two year-old colts and geldings
- Long Legged John (Athens, OH)
- Dragonmetovegas (Copley, OH)
- Beachesbeckonme (Berlin Center, OH)
Race 12 – Three year-old colds and geldings
- Distorted Dream (Sagamore Hills, OH)
- Priest Man (Salesville, OH)
- VooDoo Man (Middlefield, OH)
Official Sunday Junior Fair results (final results from Monday’s competitions will not be released until Tuesday):
Rabbit Show:
- Market Rabbit Grand Champion: Bryer Boeshart, Danville
- Rabbit Breeding Best in Show – Overall: Ryan Zollars, Mount Vernon
- Rabbit Junior Ambassador: Isabellah Molina
- Rabbit Senior Ambassador: Taylor Chattin
Pen of Three Market Lamb Judging, Sheep Showmanship, Market Lamb Show:
- Pen of Three Market Lamb Show – First Place: Braiden Bower, Glenmont
- Sheep Showmanship Master Showman: Claire Graumlich, Mount Vernon
Swine Showmanship:
- Swine Showmanship Master Showman: Luke McKee, Gambier
Knox Community Hospital proudly supports the vibrant pulse of our community by sponsoring the Life & Culture section on Knox Pages, celebrating the stories and experiences that make our region unique.