The 2019 Pennsylvania fair harness racing season ended this Friday and Saturday in Bloomsburg, PA town with two days of Pennsylvania Fair Sire Stakes racing, with the trotting males taking the spotlight.
The two-year-olds raced on Friday, and the Father Patrick–Yankee Etta gelding Penance posted a 20-and-a-quarter length victory (after being behind at the three-quarters) for driver Kyle Bolon in 2:00.3–just a tick behind the all-time state record at the fairs for the division posted by Vulcan Hanover in an earlier stop at Bloomsburg this year. Penance also earned the honor of having the most wins in the “A” class of Sire Stakes, posting a remarkable record of 12-9-3-0 for trainer Bob Rougeaux III and the ownership of the Brocious Racing Stable Inc.
On Saturday, the Andover Hall sophomore gelding Andovers Asset capped a fine season at the fairs with his eighth win over the twicearounds, in 2:00.2–tying Vulcan Hanover for honors as being the fastest trotter on the local fair circuit this year. Linda Schadel, who trains one of the fairs’ top stables which is usually driven by husband Tony, took a turn in the sulky here and doubled her lifetime total of wins, having won the other time in a race for women at Pocono in 2007 (she has driven fewer than five times in every year since 2006). Tony and Linda own the consistent three-year-old.
There were two other eight-time winners in the “A” Sire Stakes in 2019–one who did not race this weekend, defending-champion trotting filly RT Gloria De Dios; and one who did, the A Rocknroll Dance–Clearly Foxy baby pacing filly Dream Dancing, who became the only circuit freshman to post two 2:00 miles this year when she won on Friday in 2:00. Trainer Dave Brickell, co-owner with Mitchell York, was in the sulky behind the steady filly.
The leading 2:00-mile producer at the fairs with four was Find One More, even though he was edged by three-quarter lengths in Saturday’s final fair divisional outing by his stablemate in the Todd Schadel barn: the Well Said gelding Motive Hanover, who himself turned in three “magic mile” clockings during the summer. Aaron Johnson handled the driving in this event behind the 2:00 winner for owners Todd and Cody Schadel.
Crew Sock Hanover, the sophomore pacing filly who had two 2:00 miles, the only all-age track record of the year (2:00.1 at Butler), and the fastest mile of the year’s twicearound traveling show (1:56.1 at Gratz last week), set the pace in her event on Saturday, but was caught out of the pocket by a head by the Somebeachsomewhere miss Queen Bee Hanover in 1:59, fastest mile of the two-day stand. Todd Schadel trains and drove the winner for owners George and Rose Bonomo.
The other magic miler of the session was the Ponder–Odds On Affair freshman colt Champ Charbel, who recorded his fifth fair win with a 1:59.4 victory over chief nemesis Lifes Marvalous for driver Shawn Johnston and owner-trainer Joseph Karrat.
Todd Schadel and Aaron Johnston tied for the top in Bloomsburg Fair driving victories with four, while Todd sent five winning charges to be No. 1 among trainers. For the season, Todd Schadel led both categories with 55 driving wins and 62 training wins.
The Harness Bureau of the Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission will total up the final points accumulations for the fair year early this coming week, determining the ranking of eligibility for each division’s $25,000 Pennsylvania Fair Sire Stakes Championship at The Meadows on Saturday, Oct. 5.
(PHHA/MSOA/PFHHA)