It was the start of the four-day race program on Sunday afternoon at the 176th Champaign County Fair.

While there were not any Western Ohio Colt Racing Association stake races in the offering, there were some surprisingly fast miles.

It was Big CC’s Rock, Kimberly Dailey and Carl & Melanie Alley’s two-year-old Pet Rock gelding, opening up 2017’s Speed Program with a new lifetime mark. Scott Cisco steered trainer Jim Dailey’s pupil past the finish line in a sharp 1:59.1 for the mile besting the favorite St Nicholas driven by Cameron McCown.

And the old met the new in the second race as 10-year-old Olin and trainer/driver Ron Steck trotted off to win in 2:01 over several youngsters to pick up his first money in seven starts this year. The Ilooklikemymom gelding is owned by Virginia Powell of Urbana.

Cameron McCown would get the seat behind Lisa Snyder and Gene Humphrey’s Angela Nichole from trainer Darrell Hooser and squeeze out a victory as the four-year-old mare by Big Bad John won by a neck in 1:59.4 over Cams Good Fortune and driver Tom Luther.

The Scott Cisco/Jim Dailey combo would close out the day’s race card with Allgoandnowhoa going away as Carl and Melanie Alley’s two-year-old colt by Dragon Again paced to a new lifetime mark of 2:01.4 and won by eight lengths.

WOCRA stake races begin on Tuesday night as two-year-old filly pacers and three-year-old filly trotters strut their stuff for Champaign County’s “Chamber Night at the Races” starting at 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday’s 6:30 p.m. post time offers a solid 15-race card of WOCRA stakes including the Dick Buxton Trot in the Signature Series as Urbana remembers its Hall of Fame horseman.

The O.H.H.A. “Racing With The Stars” tent will be here and giving out prizes as we test your harness horse and Ohio trivia such as “Standardbred racing is Ohio’s second most popular sport. The first being …” (you’ll have nothing to “kick” about if you don’t know the answer) and enjoy and join in the fun of “The World Famous Bouncing Ponies.”

Thursday’s 2017 finale is at 6:30 p.m. with WOCRA two- and three-year-old colt pacers and trotters as the Signature Series offers the Bob Seabrook Pace in memory of the noted horseman of Urbana Farms.

With such a fast start this year the track records of 1:58.1 for trotters and the pacing mark of 1:55.1 could be eclipsed – on any night.