The 2018 Pennsylvania fair harness racing season came to its conclusion on Friday and Saturday with Sire Stakes action at the slick half-mile oval in Bloomsburg, PA.

Crew Sock Hanover remained undefeated when collecting her 10th win on the fair circuit with a 2:00.2 victory early on the card Friday, Sept. 21. The daughter of Well Said-Chantal Hall, who was outside until past the half to gain command, held off her stablemate Magic Speech by a head.

Trained and driven by Dave Brickell and co-owned by Brickell with Mitchell York, Crew Sock Hanover sits in a tie with Heythere Lisamarie for most wins by a freshman pacer this season. Brickell and York also owned Camera Lady, who led two-year-olds in wins in 2015 with 11 visits to the winner's circle.

A race later, the Cantab Hall–Armbro Blusher colt Keystone Bentley, driven by trainer Todd Schadel, trotted the Bloomsburg oval in 2:00.3 to tie the PA fairs’ age-gait-sex record previously established by Light Headed and Brannan Hanover, both at Bloomsburg in 2006.

Schadel, co-owner with Christine Schadel then completed a sweep of the frosh colt trot divisions with Oceanato Hanover (Donato Hanover-Ocean Love Potion, also co-owned by Christine), whose nine victories tie him with Bat Chip Crazy for the continental lead among two-year-old male trotters.

The winner of the most points during the season-long fair competition gets a blanket done up in stable colors at the Fair Banquet held in conjunction with the USTA district meeting every January. Keystone Bentley had already clinched his blanket the week before and so did his pacing counterpart and stablemate Way To Close, with Roger Hammer catch-driving for his partner on the legendary trotter Vivid Photo, as the Western Terror–Tootsie J gelding won in 1:59.1 at Bloomsburg for Todd and Christine.

Needing until the last card of the year to cinch her blanket status, the Muscle Massive-By A Nose Hanover trotting filly Bumper Hanover, also jointly owned by Todd and Christine, won in 2:03.1 to bring a third blanket to Team Todd; the other division went to another daughter of Muscle Massive, Touch Of Dough in 2:02 for driver Eric Neal, trainer Randall Neal and Neal Racing Stable LLC.

On Saturday, Sept. 22, Roger Hammer matched Todd Schadel’s success by winding up with three of his sophomore charges getting the prized point blankets. The only one of the three who won was the Real Artist gelding Cirrus De Vie, who welcomed the absence of arch-rival Venier Hanover by winning in 1:59.1 for trainer-driver Hammer, who co-owns with Vicki Fair. The colt wrapped his consistent fair season with a scorecard of eight wins and six seconds in fourteen starts, making him joint top pointwinner overall along with his stablemate: the Explosive Matter trotting filly Blow Back, who posted the exact same 14-8-6-0 record. Blow Back, starting from the second tier, missed a half-length to the 2:02 winning effort of the Crazed filly Won The War, guided by trainer Rick Beinhauer, also co-owner with Regina Beinhauer.

The third Hammer blanket eanrer (co-owned by Hammer and Vicki Fair), the Well Said pacing filly Geisha Hanover, won only once at the fairs but got a check in all 14 of her appearances to hold on by four points over Keystone Diamond.

The sophomore trotting colts went in two divisions on Saturday. Muscle Massive gelding Eiffel Hanover won the first in 2:02.4 for trainer-driver Steve Schoeffel and owners Virginia and Kathy Schoeffel.

The Andover Hall gelding Grapple Hanover needed a first or a second to take the points title and blanket. And Grapple came through for trainer-driver Wayne Long and owners Bill Kreutzer and Denton Barrett, finishing second to the 2:02.2 win of Possess The Stone, who is a gelding by Possess The Will catch-driven by Rick Beinhauer for trainer Scott Betts and owner Timothy Betts.

The top point winners declaring in will go in the Pennsylvania Fair Sire Stakes Championship card at The Meadows on Saturday afternoon, October 6. When the Commission's official numbers are compiled, early next week there will be one final release, reviewing the point champions, 2:00 miles and speed records, along with the final trainer and driver standings.

(With files from the PHHA)