Clinton County Fair - Frankfort, Indiana
When most Hoosiers around the fair circuit think about Frankfort, there are two names immediately coming to mind; “Doc” McClain and “Hot Dogs”, not the kind you eat…the horses named “Hot Dog Somethingorother.”
“Doc” tells us the land where the fairgrounds is located was donated to the county in 1872 by the founders of the city of Frankfort, and Harness Racing made its debut in 1874. In 1905, the racetrack was rebuilt in its present location. Since the beginning, the fair has hosted racing every year, except for a three-year absence during World War II. When harness racing resumed in 1947, fans were treated to their first races under lights and the grandstand was filled to capacity. On July 4, 1970, the grandstand met the fate of a number of those old wooden structures and burned to the ground. The next year, a new one was erected and is still used today for numerous fair functions. During the fair in 1996, a tornado passed over the fairgrounds and took the roof from a couple of the barns. The races had to be carried over to the next day.
Among the more famous horses having trained over the Frankfort oval include Hal Dale, Guinea Gold and Mighty Indian. The earliest records we could locate reveal Guinea Gold, owned by Paul Hungerford, held the pacing track record from 1951 until 1988. The mark of 2:01 stood until a chestnut colt named Hot Dog Dick and Harold Barnes stopped the timer at 1:58.2, a mark which still stands. Dr. McClain tells us “Dick” should have done better, but it rained the night before the race was contested. “He could have gone in 1:56 over the Frankfort track - I’m sure.”
Mighty Indian, owned by George Wilfong, was the trotting track record holder with a time of 2:04.2 from 1960 to 1980. A couple of “Hot Dogs” named Rocky and Mathew, both shared the 2:03 record until 1991. During the 1991 fair, the track record changed owners four times in one evening! Dave White reigned Armbro Marcus to a 2:02.1 clocking in the first heat of the three-year-old trot. Then, Jeff Edwards crossed the finish line first with Fast Reaction in 2:02 flat in the first heat of the 4 year-old and up trot. Not to be outdone, Armbro Marcus returned for the second heat with a 2:01.4 performance. The track record stood just long enough for Fast Reaction to finish his second mile in 2:01.2, which remains the best trotting mile at Frankfort to this point. To quote Doc, “What a night!”
While doing this article, we just realized the Clinton County Fair has one of the few remaining half-mile clay tracks in Indiana hosting the Fair Circuit races. Among the trainers stabled there today are Dr. John McClain, Richard Busman, Terry Grant, Jeff and Pam Royer, and Daryl Petty.