The Pennsylvania Fair Circuit for harness racing, featuring the Pennsylvania Fair Sire Stakes program, began its 2025 season on Wednesday, June 25 and Thursday, June 26 at The Big Butler Fair in this west-central Pennsylvania borough.
There were eight dashes for two-year-olds programmed on Wednesday, and since no entrant had yet gained a victory, there were eight horses who recorded lifetime bests, even though the oval on Wednesday was rated “sloppy.” The fastest time of each gait was recorded by a male, with the fastest mile of all notched by the pacing gelding Fancy Captain, a gelded son of Captain Crunch and the Dan Patch Award-winning millionaire Fancy Filly. He covered the fairgrounds twice-around in 2:03 for driver Steve Schoeffel, trainer Dan Walski, and owner Walski Stables LLC.
Among the freshman trotters, the first race of the season at the fairs was won in 2:07 by The Rizzler (Greenshoe-Dominica, the second dam the Dan Patch Award-winning millionaire Classic Martine). The gelding is trained and was driven by Todd Schadel and is owned by Todd in partnership with his wife, Christine.
The other Wednesday winners were Meadowbrooks Gem (2:08), Beachys Mistress (2:05), Vegas Queen (2:05), Dont Be Late (2:08), Rough And Rowdy (2:14), and Lion Unleashed (2:06).
Thursday brought both the three-year-olds and the standard “good” rating for fairgrounds ovals. The fastest time was 2:00.2 – but this was a clocking recorded by both a pacer and a trotter, both from the Schadel barn. The pacer was Bettor Not, a Captain Crunch-Bettorhaveanother gelding sporting the same connections as The Rizzler. His time was not unexpected given that he had a 1:52.4 victory at Pocono three starts prior.
The trotter’s fast clocking was a bit less anticipated (no wins this year and a 1:59.3 speed badge last year), but it was a pleasant surprise presented by the Bar Hopping-Promisemethis gelding Set The Bar, trained and driven by Todd Schadel and co-owned by Team Schadel and Rick and Regina Beinhauer. The other division of this Sire Stakes section was taken by the only 2024 Fair Champion to win at Butler, the Greenshoe-Lady Riviera gelding Lionheart Hanover (2:02.2), already a 14-time winner in his career for his co-owners, driver Tony and trainer Linda Schadel.
In winning the first race Thursday in 2:03.2, the Fordham Road-Blessings Counted trotting filly Rt Gratitude certainly reduced her mark – from 2:15.1. David Brickell guided the successful miss for trainer Tom Loughry Jr. and Brocious Racing Stable Inc.
The other Thursday winners were Golden Magic (2:03), Dont Touch My T (2:01.2), Home Run King (2:04), Stealing Apples (2:02), Winning Blue Chip (2:07), Kind Of Likecash (2:04), Classy Cocktail (2:03), Warhead (2:07), and Father Shine (2:12).
Todd Schadel sent out four winners across the two days to take an early lead in the training standings, but the top driver was a horseman making great strides on the comeback trail. Chris Shaw, one of the few drivers to have posted a 100+ win season on the Pennsylvania fair circuit, was badly injured in a late 2021 accident and did not return to the sulky until last year. Shaw seems back in sharp form, though, if his work at Butler is the indicator, as he won three times on both Wednesday and Thursday to take the early lead in the sulky derby.
The fair circuit next goes to the Lycoming County Fair in Hughesville PA, not far from Williamsport, the home of the Little League World Series. A “two-day meet” will be held there this coming Wednesday, July 2 and Thursday, July 3, followed by the fair proper part of the action on July 9-10.
(With files from the Pennsylvania Fair Harness Horsemen’s Association, Meadows Standardbred Owners Association, and Pennsylvania Harness Horsemen’s Association)