HARNESS RACING THRIVING IN ILLINOIS

ANNA, Ill. -- Ted Smith admits that sometimes harness racing can be a little rough. Sitting on a tiny wooden rig directly behind a horse and cruising at 30 mph in tight quarters with other racers, there is little one can do if the unexpected occurs.

"It doesn't happen very often, but if it does you just become part of the pileup," Smith said.

Competitors experienced few problems Thursday during the Egyptian Colt Stakes, one of the many activities going on this week during the 115th annual Union County Fair.

Illinois is one of the few states in the country where harness racing is still a booming sport. Not only is it popular at the big racetracks around Illinois where parimutuel betting is allowed, but it also thrives at the state fair level.

Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar, a fan of horse racing since childhood, was on hand Thursday for the action at the Union County Fairgrounds.

"I like the sport and I like the tradition of both harness and thoroughbred racing," Edgar said. "I also enjoy county fairs, so it's a combination of things."

Harness racing in America traces its modern roots to the early 1800s, but evidence of men racing horses in harness goes back more than 3,000 years.

Edgar said his interest in the sport is two-fold.

"It's fun, but as governor I also like harness racing as a big industry," Edgar said. "It creates about 37,000 jobs in the state, and I'd like to keep that industry going."

In Illinois, harness racing is divided into categories separated by whether the horses are 2- or 3-year-olds, fillies or colts, and trotters or pacers. The latter category refers to different styles of gaits.

Both trotters and pacers are referred to in breeding as standardbreds, a somewhat sturdier brand of race horse than thoroughbreds, which are built strictly for speed.

All horses that compete on the Illinois county fair circuit -- where betting is not allowed -- must be conceived and foaled in the state.

Smith and his wife Ruth Ann are retired restaurant owners from Carmi, Ill., who have been raising and racing standardbreds for 18 years. Smith said standardbreds are gaining ground on their swifter cousins, the thoroughbreds. Standardbreds, he said, can cover a 1-mile course in about one minute 45 seconds, about 15 seconds slower than the average thoroughbred.

"The gap each year keeps getting closer on the speeds," he said.

Smith entered two horses in the Union County competition: Nessa, a 3-year-old trotter, and Downstate Dan, a 3-year-old pacer. Downstate Dan, who set the track record at Anna for 2-year-olds in 1994, won his race to pull in a winner's purse of $1,350.

In Illinois, harness racing at county fairs is supported by the state through taxes garnered from betting at parimutuel tracks. The Smiths said money earned from the sport isn't enough for a living but covers expenses for raising horses as well as traveling around the state to race.

The Smiths are in the sport, however, more for recreation than for money. Ted Smith said driving a harness, traditionally referred to as a "sulkey," is a thrilling experience. Top speeds for a prime horse can hit as high as 35 mph.

"When you're that close to the horse and that close to the ground it seems a lot faster," he said.