Last Friday, Oct. 11 during a twilight card at The Meadows, the eight divisional Pennsylvania Fair Sire Stakes champions were crowned at the end of their respective $33,784 finales.
The two three-year-old pacing winners repeated as divisional champions: the male Ante Up Hanover and the female Showboat Hanover. The last time a male pacer had been champion at two and three was 2009-2010, when McDickerson pulled the trick, whereas you only had to go back two years to find the last female repeater, Bettor Strait N Up. The last-named is the only Pennsylvania Fair horse to be both a point leader and a champion in both years of Pennsylvania Fair Sire Stakes racing.
Both of the 2024 repeaters came from the barn of Todd Schadel, who employed Andy Miller as driver for both winners. Schadel himself drove a third winner from his stable, the sophomore trotting filly Loveyoubunches.
Tony Schadel, Todd’s brother, did his part for the Schadel family by training and driving two winners, both freshmen: the trotting colt Lionheart Hanover and the pacing filly Milagro. Milagro was the only champion to rewrite the Fair Sire Stakes Championship speed record for her division, with a 1:54.2 mile, which lowered the 1:55 established last year by repeat winner Showboat Hanover and Stay Happy the year before that.
Brady Brown drove a pair of winners as well, both trotters: three-year-old male winner Cyclone Ben, the top half of a 1-2 finish for the Steve Schoeffel barn, and the two-year-old filly H Moni Winner.
Brown did a good bit of the driving this summer for veteran horseman Roger Hammer, who is cutting back on his sulky appearances. However, Hammer still has the most Fair Sire Stakes Championships winning drives all-time, dating back to 1997, with 22 victories. Aaron Merriman, who had three seconds and two thirds last Friday, remains one behind Hammer, and Todd Schadel added to his lifetime count in third, now with 19 successes.
Lionheart Hanover and Showboat Hanover were the only two point leaders from the fair circuit’s summerlong stops to go on to win their championship.
The top Pennsylvania Fair performers will be recognized at the annual Fair Dinner, held in conjunction with the USTA District 7 meeting; those events will take place on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025 at the Omni Bedford Springs in Bedford, Pennsylvania.
(With files from Meadows Standardbred Owners Association, Pennsylvania Harness Horsemen’s Association and Pennsylvania Fair Harness Horsemen’s Association)