CLEARFIELD, PA – The first two days of a four-day meet at the Clearfield (PA) County Fairgrounds were devoted to Pennsylvania Fair Sire Stakes racing for two-year-olds, with the trotters going on Sunday and the pacers on Monday.
The brightest star to shine among the babies was the two-year-old pacing filly Dream Dancing, who won for the fourth time at the fairs this year, with her final Clearfield clocking of 2:01.4 coming with 2/5 of a second of the eight-year-old local divisional standard of Chrome Over. Dream Dancing finished over 20 lengths clear of her competition, the A Rocknroll Dance – Clearly Foxy miss stepping home in :58.4 for trainer/driver Dave Brickell, co-owner with Mitchell York.
Two other divisions of the "A" baby filly pace went to the driver-son / trainer-father combination of Shawn and Gary Johnston, who are having an excellent year with their babies. The Captaintreacherous – I Need Hotstuff filly Silly But Serious has now won four in a row on the fair circuit with a 2:05.1 win for owners Gary Johnston and Joyce Benkart, while the Well Said – Read All About It distaff Write All About It now has a fair scorecard of 7-4-3-0, divided between the A and B Sires sections, after a 2:07.4 victory for owner Dr. William Solomon.
Shawn Johnston also won the sole division of the Sires colt pace with the Ponder – Odds On Affair freshman Champ Charbel in 2:02.1 for trainer/owner Joe Karrat. Champ Charbel was second when Halliwell Hanover recorded a 1:59.2 victory in the very first race ever held at the new Silver Springs ranch facility, but he reversed that decision Monday to bring his fair log to 4-3-1-0, again between A and B.
Among the trotters the fastest winner was the Father Patrick – Cocktail Attire filly Cocktails N Dreams, breaking her maiden in 2:05.1 for driver Tony Schadel and trainer Linda Schadel, who are the co-owners. It was the first fair start for Cocktails N Dreams, who had earned checks in two of the "big" pari-mutuel Sire Stakes.
In the trotting male ranks it was the Possess The Will – The Yankees Win colt No Name Yankee who won in the fastest clocking, 2:06.1, in the "B" Sire Stakes section, his quickest among four wins at the lower level for owner/trainer/driver Roger Hammer. Two of the three "A" divisions for males went to the circuit's leading trainer and driver this year, Todd Schadel, behind Cool Down Hanover (2:07) and Manhattanup No Ice (2:06.2).
The three-year-olds now take center stage at Clearfield, with the sophomore trotters and Tuesday and the pacers on Wednesday, both cards scheduled to start at high noon.
From the Meadows Standardbred Owners Association, Pennsylvania Fair Harness Horsemen Association, and Pennsylvania Harness Horsemen's Association partnership