CLEARFIELD PA – The longest harness racing meet of the year on the Pennsylvania Fair circuit, a four-day stay at the Clearfield County Fair in the central Pennsylvania town, conducted its first two days of racing by featuring two-year-olds, Sunday for the trotters and Monday for the pacers.
It's been nine years this week since PA fairs "graduate" Vivid Photo won the Hambletonian (and in fact driver Roger Hammer's whip-whirling finish was shown in the lead-in to the Hambo press conference), so it is appropriate that Hammer and his co-owner in "Vivid," Todd Schadel, would produce the best mile among the freshmen.
Hammer sent Artists Ruffles, fresh off a 1:57 score at Bedford that stands as the fastest mile of the Keystone twice around season regardless of age, to the lead in his Fair Sire Stakes heat and put up fractions of 30, 1:01, and 1:29.3 over track with a variant of "+3," looking to put himself in a position to threaten the local 2PC record of 2:01 shared by four horses, But Artists Ruffles tired a bit late, and it was Schadel and the Yankee Cruiser colt Cruiserwillwin who came on in the stretch from midpack, catching the pacesetter by 1¼ lengths while going in 2:01.2, just missing the local standard. Cruiserwillwin, second to Artists Ruffles in the Bedford mile, is also trained by Schadel, and Todd is co-owner with his wife Christine. Both Hammer and Schadel had two winners on the Monday card, tying them for top honors for the day and the meet (3).
They sure named Camera Lady correctly, as the Dragon Again miss had her picture taken in Victory Lane for the seventh times in eight starts – she is the winningest two-year-old pacing filly in all of North America as of this writing. "Smilin" Dave Brickell, her trainer/driver and co-owner with Mitchell York, and his filly went their back half in 1:00.4 to complete a 2:04.4 mile.
Among Sunday's baby trotting contests, probably the most impressive winner was Gee Wizz George, a Great George Two gelding who posted his fourth victory (one off the North American lead in his category) by winning in 2:08, equaling the fastest mile of the day. However, not too many 2:08 miles, especially on fair tracks, feature middle halves in 1:00.2 – which was what Gee Wizz George trotted while going from over 11 lengths back at the quarter after a break at the start to a five-length lead at the ¾. The pace of course took its toll, but Gee Wizz George was able to fight off late-charging Intense Standoff by a nose for driver Ron Harvey, trainer Jean Rastetter, and owners Maryann and Richard Rastetter.
The focus at Clearfield now shifts to the three-year-olds for cards on Tuesday and Wednesday starting at high noon, with the trotters on Tuesday and the pacers on Wednesday.
Publicity Office, Pennsylvania Fair Harness Horsemen's Association