The two-year-olds took centre stage as the Pennsylvania Fair Sire Stakes circuit came to the Silver Springs Ranch, a training centre in northeast Pennsylvania not far from The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, for a two-day event on Thursday and Friday, with the babies leading off the action.
And speaking of “leading off the action,” the one Silver Springs track record that was broken outright on Thursday was the 1:59.1 turned in by the Stay Hungry – All Night Long pacing gelding Annapolis Hanover, breaking the 1:59.2 divisional standard set by Halliwell Hanover in the very first purse race ever held at this facility on July 18, 2019. The two freshmen furthered the cycle of veteran David Brickell and son-in-law Mitchell York, who co-owned Halliwell Hanover, for Brickell drove Annapolis Hanover Thursday, and York owns and trains him. Annapolis Hanover is himself already a five-time winner, including a “Pennsylvania Stakes Trifecta” in his last three: PA All-Stars, PA pari-mutuel Sire Stake, and now PA Fair Sire Stake.
Also adding a line to the annals Thursday was the 2:02.2 mile recorded by the Betting Line - Goldies Bad Girl pacing filly Rambling Ruby, which equaled that group’s standard set by Search Light during that same inaugural card here. The parallels continue – Todd Schadel guided Search Light, and he also trains and drove Rambling Ruby to her fourth victory in “A” Fair Sire Stakes, the first to reach that mark, for Andy Miller Stable Inc., Jean Goehlen, and Bert Hochsprung.
During Friday’s three-year-old action, the Always B Miki colt Buchannon Hanover closed out the short meet by becoming the first two-time 2:00 winner at the fairs this year with a 1:59.2 mile for trainer/driver Todd Schadel, co-owner with wife Christine. In all, Todd Schadel sent out nine winners during the short meet and drove them all.
Sam Beegle, president of the PHHA and district chairman of the USTA, drove two winners Friday to bring his lifetime total to 992.
The cards are already drawn for the four-day stay at the Clearfield County Fair in the northern half of the state, with 34 heats set to go at the four-wide oval on Sunday through Wednesday, with an experimental 5:30 p.m. start for Tuesday being tested against the regular 1 p.m. first race.
(Pennsylvania Fair Harness Horsemen’s Association)