Trainer-driver Todd Schadel earned an historic “double dip” into the Pennsylvania Fair Circuit record book while racing at the Bloomsburg Fair on Friday and Saturday.

The first day he guided the gelding Top Me Off to victory in 1:59.4, the first “magic mile” ever on the circuit by a two-year-old trotter, and the second day he won with the three-year-old gelding Manhattanup No Ice in 1:58.1, the fastest trotting mile on the books in the annals of Pennsylvania fair racing.

Manhattanup No Ice, a son of Andover Hall, had to fight hard for the victory in his record mile. After a :28.4 quarter, Todd’s brother Tony came three-wide with Focus Pocus to challenge Manhattanup No Ice before the :59.3 half, with Roger Hammer and No Name Yankee (who had trotted in 1:58.2 at Bloomsburg three weeks ago) in the pocket. The battle raged past a 1:29 three-quarters and through the stretch, where Manhattanup No Ice, also owned by Todd Schadel, got a half-length decision in the record time, with No Name Yankee also charted as just a half length off in the epic mile. Shark Kosmos (2003), Plumb, and No Name Yankee (both this year) had shared the former 1:58.2 trotting standard.

A race later, trainer-driver Roger Hammer put the Artspeak gelding Bipbopnallie on the lead through splits of :28.2, :58.3, and 1:25.3, with Nome Hanover challenging the entire way before coming home in :28.3 for a victory in 1:54.1. That clocking was just two-fifths of a second off the all age pacing record at the Pennsy fairs, which was set over this track by the three-year-old gelding Midway Island in 2017, and it was the quickest of the year on the circuit. Bipbopnallie, owned by Leblanc Racing Inc., Count De Money Stable, and William Lutz Jr., now has five 2:00 miles at the state’s fairs this year, tying him with his filly contemporary Ginger Tree Carey.

On Friday, the freshman Bar Hopping–Chiptomylou gelding Top Me Off set fractions of :30.4, 1:00.4, and 1:31.1 for Todd Schadel, with his closest challenger being stablemate By A Hoff Hanover, and that foe losing gait late had no effect on Top Me Off coming home in :28.3 for the 1:59.4 historic clocking, which beat the previous standard of 2:00.1–also set at Bloomsburg three weeks ago, by Killer Instinct. Top Me Off is co-owned by Todd and his wife Christine along with Rick and Regina Beinhauer. (It will surprise no one to learn that Todd’s five driving victories and seven training wins led the Bloomsburg horsemen’s colony this week.)

The Betting Line–Lazan Hanover baby pacing filly Lazy Day Hanover won for the 14th time this year. The win tied her with the sophomore trotting gelding First Gunner, a double-gaited Iowa terror, who with 18 starts has one more trip behind the gate than Lazy Day Hanover. The local sensation was, as usual, guided by co-owner Dave Brickell for co-owner and trainer Mitchell York, and the 1:59.4 time equaled her qualifying best at The Meadows. The Artspeak–Castanet Hall filly Catie Faye Hanover, the PA fair circuit’s season’s leader, won her division a tick faster for driver Eric Neal and trainer Richard Dunn, the latter co-owner with MBC Stables LLC.

The Pennsylvania horsemen's community was very appreciative of the efforts of John Brokenshire, Bloomsburg's lead person for harness racing. "He had the track in excellent shape for us for both weeks of racing," said PHHA president-trainer/driver Sam Beegle. "He is also open to listening to horsemen, and when possible making improvements—you don't always get that everywhere, but you do with John at Bloomsburg."

Going into the weekend, Lazy Day Hanover and No Name Yankee had clinched their division’s pointwinning title; they were joined at Bloomsburg by the two-year-old trotting filly Explosive Flower. Remarkably, that means that five of the eight point-winning titles will be decided at the last stop of the year for the Pennsylvania fairs, at Honesdale on Tuesday and Wednesday at 1 p.m. (EDT). The Fair Championships will be held Monday, October 12 at The Meadows.

(PFHHA/PHHA/MSOA)