Roger Hammer, 'King of the Pennsylvania Fairs' and coming to race in his home town of Bedford, where he is in the Sports Hall of Fame, posted three victories on both Monday and Tuesday at the local fairgrounds to be the leading driver for the meet and retake command of the local seasonal win category.
Hammer posted the fastest mile of the meet, 2:01.3, and got the biggest purse of the session when he won the one-division PA Fair Sire Stakes for three-year-old pacers, with an $11,345 purse, with his homebred Nuclear Breeze gelding R N Nate, who earlier in the year had rewritten the Butler standard for his class to 2:01 – for thirty minutes, until Royaltyhasarrived, who was not entered at Bedford, beat the new mark by a tick.
With his sextet of visits to Victory Lane, Roger raised his 2015 total on the fair circuit to 32, four ahead of Chris Shaw, who had come out of the gate hot this year but was inexplicably 0-for-15 over the Bedford half-miler. Hammer also trains all six of his winners, now giving him a 32-22 lead in the conditioning colony over Chris’s brother Jason, who entered only two horses in the two days.
Since we are fast approaching the 10th anniversary of the magical (hey, it is to us!) Hambletonian win of Vivid Photo, owned by Hammer in partnership with Todd Schadel, it seems appropriate that Todd was right behind Roger with five victories over the two days, including winning with the fastest trotter, the sophomore filly Scarletts Legacy, in 2:03.1. Todd trains all five of his successful quintet, and co-owns three with his wife Christine; Max J. Hempt, grandson of Hall of Famer Max C. Hempt, owns one of the others, and the second is backed by a quartet that includes Hall of Fame nominee Charles Keller III.
A shout-out should also go to another member of the Bedford Sports Hall of Fame, Sam Beegle –- who got in the local Hall for his wrestling skill, having gone to the high school State Finals, and who of course has had a fine career as a trainer/driver, President of the PA Harness Horsemen’s Association, and now Chairman of USTA District 7, of which he has been a longtime director. Beegle guided the Shark Gesture - Jakes Lil Sis baby pacing filly Worthy Jackie home first in 2:04.2.
The Pennsylvania fair action now heads to the Clearfield County Fair in the northcentral part of the state. Racing is being held on a Sunday through Wednesday schedule this year, with post time the day after the Adios 1:00 p.m. and noon for the following three sessions.
(PA Fair Harness Horsemen’s Association)