Track records for trotting fillies were set by both a two-year-old and a three-year-old during Thursday (freshman) and Friday (sophomore) Pennsylvania Fair Sire Stakes racing at the Indiana Fairgrounds in this city in the westcentral portion of the state.
First to make her mark on the record books was Shalamar Hanover, a Cantab Hall-Setntheworldonfire filly who broke her maiden in 2:05.4, equalling the local standard shared by Lady Broadway (2012) and Ridinonarainbow (2018) and also serving as the fastest baby trot. Shalamar Hanover is trained and was driven by Todd Schadel, who co-owns the filly with his wife Christine. Also deserving of a shoutout in this section is fair season’s leader Classy Cocktail, who now has seven fair “A” wins for trainer/driver Tony Schadel, co-owner with wife Linda.
The fastest freshman was the Heston Blue Chip-Escape Girl gelding PHR, who went in 2:03.1 for driver Wayne Long and trainer/owner Oscar Johnson Jr. Wheelhouse Hanover, another winner in this division, is the only horse with eight fair “A” wins, and he’s done so while going undefeated on the twicearound circuit for trainer/driver Todd Schadel, also co-owner with son Cody.
Between the Thursday and Friday races, Bob Rougeaux III and Rich Gillock oversaw a crew giving the track a good working-over. Sam Beegle, president of the PHHA (and a double winner on Friday) said that he and many other horsemen were appreciative of them stepping up and working hard to make the racing better.
The Friday’s track record setter was the Fordham Road filly Loveyoubunches, whose fair campaign can best be told with numbers; eight starts, seven wins, five track records, including two all-age track records including the fastest mile ever at the fairs for her division (1:58.1), which is also the fastest trot of the year. At Indiana, she won in 2:00.2, erasing the 2:03 mark of Cheesy Hanover in 2021 for trainer/driver Todd Schadel and co-owners Christine Schadel and Rick and Regina Beinhauer. And if Loveyoubunches hadn’t reset the mark in the sixth race, 12 minutes later these same connections had the Bar Hopping filly Bar Talk win in 2:02.1 in a “B” division.
At the risk of repetitiveness, it must also be reported that Team Todd Schadel also had two three-year-old pacing males, both Betting Line geldings, sweep their “A” section and both post their sixth fair wins: Twiggs Pub and Ante Up Hanover, the latter both the fastest performer at all 2024 fairs (1:57) and at Indiana (1:59.3).
At the Dayton meet, 72-year-old Ronald Lubosco won his first race in 45 years with Good Queen Bess. Eight days later, the pair decided they liked winning so much that they did it again!
Again, no prize for guessing the leading driver and trainer. Tied for second in the drivers column were Sam Beegle, Aaron Johnston, Wayne Long, Tony Schadel and Steve Schoeffel; on the trainers side, tied for second were Sam Beegle, Tony Schadel and Steve Schoeffel.
The Pennsylvania fair season has only five more stops left, including the Erie County Fair in Wattsburg at 2 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday. Then comes Stoneboro, the two-day and fair meets at Gratz, and Bloomsburg – the last chances for horses to gain enough points to be among the top eight in their division and earn a place in the $200,000 USD Pennsylvania Fair Sire Stakes Championship Night at The Meadows on Friday, Oct. 11.
(Pennsylvania Harness Horsemen’s Association, Pennsylvania Fair Harness Horsemen’s Association and Meadows Standardbred Owners Association)