The first two days of a four-day meet at the Clearfield County Fairgrounds were devoted to Pennsylvania Fair Sire Stakes racing for two-year-olds, with the trotters going on Sunday and the pacers on Monday.
The brightest star to shine among the babies was the two-year-old pacing filly Dream Dancing, who won for the fourth time at the fairs this year, with her final Clearfield clocking of 2:01.4 coming with two-fifths of a second of the eight-year-old local divisional standard of Chrome Over. Dream Dancing finished over 20 lengths clear of her competition, the A Rocknroll Dance–Clearly Foxy miss stepping home in :58.4 for trainer/driver Dave Brickell, co-owner with Mitchell York.
Two other divisions of the “A” baby filly pace went to the driver-son / trainer-father combination of Shawn and Gary Johnston, who are having an excellent year with their babies.
The Captaintreacherous–I Need Hotstuff filly Silly But Serious has now won four-in-a-row on the fair circuit with a 2:05.1 win for owners Gary Johnston and Joyce Benkart, while the Well Said–Read All About It distaffer Write All About It now has a fair scorecard of 7-4-3-0, divided between the A and B Sires sections, after a 2:07.4 victory for owner Dr. William Solomon.
Shawn Johnston also won the sole division of the Sires colt pace with the Ponder–Odds On Affair freshman Champ Charbel in 2:02.1 for trainer/owner Joe Karrat. Champ Charbel was second when Halliwell Hanover recorded a 1:59.2 victory in the very first race ever held at the new Silver Springs ranch facility, but he reversed that decision Monday to bring his fair log to 4-3-1-0, again between A and B.
Among the trotters the fastest winner was the Father Patrick–Cocktail Attire filly Cocktails N Dreams, breaking her maiden in 2:05.1 for driver Tony Schadel and trainer Linda Schadel, who are the co-owners. It was the first fair start for Cocktails N Dreams, who had earned cheques in two of the “big” pari-mutuel Sire Stakes.
In the trotting male ranks it was the Possess The Will–The Yankees Win colt No Name Yankee who won in the fastest clocking, 2:06.1, in the “B” Sire Stakes section, his quickest among four wins at the lower level for owner/trainer/driver Roger Hammer. Two of the three “A” divisions for males went to the circuit’s leading trainer and driver this year, Todd Schadel, behind Cool Down Hanover (2:07) and Manhattanup No Ice (2:06.2).
The three-year-olds now take center stage at Clearfield, with the sophomore trotters and Tuesday and the pacers on Wednesday, both cards scheduled to start at high noon.
(MSOA / PFHHA / PHHA)