The Pennsylvania county fair circuit made its next-to-last stop of the season in this “college town” in northeast Pennsylvania, and while you usually don’t see the phrase “temperatures in the mid-50s” in a county fair harness racing report, that’s exactly what confronted the two-year-olds on Friday (most racing in that climate for the first time) and the three-year-olds on Saturday (Sept. 24). Though fast clockings were not prevalent, excellent racing by talented performers surely was in evidence.

The fastest time among the Friday freshmen, 2:00.4, came from an unusual source and also from the most likely source of all. The unlikely source was not really the filly in question, the Always B Miki – Hilarious Heyday miss Miss Hanna Hunter, who won for the eighth time this year for driver Wayne Long and trainer/owner Bill Kreutzer, but that her swift victory came in a “B” division of the Fair Sire Stakes!

The likely source also won for the eighth time – the Captaintreacherous – Well Whats New gelding Captaincountrystar, who has all of his wins at the “A” level, five of them in a row and four overall in 2:00 or less, as he tallied for trainer/driver Todd Schadel, co-owner with Andy Miller Stable Inc. and Wallace Townsend Jr. 

The fastest freshman trotter also reported home first for the eighth time of the fair campaign – the Sebastian K S – By A Nose Hanover filly Dancinwiththangels, in her case her sixth consecutive fair victory, in 2:02.2 for trainer/driver Todd Schadel, co-owner with his wife Christine.

On Saturday, a three-year-old colt pacer did turn in a magic mile in the cool climate. That would be the Betting Line colt Aladdin Hanover, the fastest at the PA fairs this season with a 1:56.2 all-age track record at Hughesville, who went here in 2:00 for driver Jack Killeen, trainer Jason Shaw and his son/the horse’s owner Mason.

The “other” winner in the colt “A” ranks also deserves a mention, as Buchannon Hanover, who won in 2:02.4 (thus not adding to his lead of six 2:00 miles at the PA fairs), recorded his circuit-high eleventh victory of the season, which is also the length of his current winning streak on the cotton candy circuit for Todd and Christine Schadel.

Buchannon Hanover now has the outright lead in this category as his stablemate Heart Matters, a trotting filly who had visited Victory Lane in all of her first ten starts on the twicearound trail, settled for third behind the Southwind Frank miss Till Im Gone, who won for this first time in “A” company this year and enhanced her chances to make her Championship final with a victory in 2:03, quickest among the sophomore diamondgaiters, for driver Wayne Long, trainer Bob Rougeaux III, and Brocious Racing Stable Inc.

The three-year-old pacing filly Bettor Strait N Up clinched her divisional points crown with a victory for the team of driver Tony and trainer Linda Schadel – of importance because no fair horse has ever won her or his points title and Championship at both two and three, and now the daughter of Betting Line now has three pieces of the puzzle to her credit.

Wayne Long drove three winners each day of the meet to take the drivers championship by one over Eric Neal, who was perfect in four drives Saturday, and Todd Schadel. All of Todd’s winners came from his own barn, who allowed him to edge by one conditioners Wayne Long, who had two each day, and Bob Krenitsky Jr., who had a training triple on Saturday.

The Pennsylvania fair circuit sets up shop for the final time in 2022 at the Crawford County Fair in Meadville PA, with racing on Monday and Tuesday at 1 p.m. Two divisional pointleaders will be decided there, both of the trotting colt sections, and many horses will be looking to put in top performances to enable them to reach or have a chance to reach, or stay sharp for, their $25,000 Pennsylvania Fair Sire Stakes Championship, to be held on Friday, October 7 at The Meadows.

(PFHHA / MSOA / PHHA)