PROSPECT PA – The Big Butler Fair opened a two-day stand as the second stop on the 2016 Pennsylvania fair circuit on Thursday, and the northwest Pennsylvania has never remotely seen a parade of two-year-old trotting speed as it did today, with track records for both sexes obliterated.
Butler traditionally races just before the Fourth Of July, so quick baby miles, especially from trotters, could not be expected – the old marks were 2:09.1 for colts and 2:08.2 for fillies. But we're glad nobody showed today's freshmen the record books before they raced.
The Broadway Hall gelding Toolbox Tuesday was the first recordbreaker to take to the track, and he left the old divisional Butler standard somewhere over by the Ohio line as he roared home in 2:05.3 – yes, 3 3/5 seconds faster than the male mark established by KT Tag I'm It in 2010. The fast freshman made quite an impression in breaking his maiden for trainer/driver Roger Hammer, who is also the co-owner with Vicki Fair.
(A thought should be spared here for the Great George Two gelding Gee Wizz George, who was victorious in another section of the baby colt trot for driver Leo Harvey, trainer Jean Rastetter, and owners Maryann and Richard Rastetter. His time of 2:07.3 would also have shattered the old Butler mark – if his race hadn't come one race after Toolbox Tuesday's.)
The fillies weren't about to miss out on the record action on the fine fairgrounds half-miler, and in the race after Gee Wizz George's, the Lucky Chucky filly Lovebeinglucky stopped the stopwatch in 2:05.4, leaving the old mark of 2:08.2, set by Trustworthy Gal in 2014, way up the stretch. Lovebeinglucky, trained and driven , and owned in partnership with his wife Regina, by Rick Beinhauer, continued Beinhauer's assault on the fair record book – in two stops he's had this mile, and he drove the three-year-old Major Matter, who's in at Butler tomorrow (Thursday) , to a 2:04 victory which equaled the fastest trot mile ever during Wattsburg's 2016 seasonal opener.
Roger Hammer also trained the fastest winning freshman pacer of the day – and his time too was 2:05.3, just like Hammer's trotter Toolbox Tuesday. The fast pacer was a filly, the Delmarvalous miss Marvalous B T, who was driven here by Steve Schoeffel for conditioner/owner/breeder Hammer.
FINISHING LINES – The three-year-olds take center stage on the Friday Butler card, with 12 races starting at 10 a.m. Major Matter is in the third … Roger Huston said to tell everyone that he really likes the chances of the one horse in the first race at Butler on Friday.
By Jerry Connors, for the PA Fair Circuit
Apparently the photo of Toolbox Tuesday did not work out — we apologize, and if we find a remedy, we'll send it along. Here's a photo of 2TF recordsetter Love Being Lucky.