Two track records fall at Somerset (PA) Fair

MEYERSDALE, PA – The two-year-olds were the stars of the harness racing show during two days of racing at the Somerset County Fairgrounds in this southwest Pennsylvania borough, as the babies set two track records and produced the fastest mile of the meet.

The Cantab Hall – Lucky Witch freshman trotting filly Lucky Station trotted the half-mile Meyersdale oval in 2:07.3 to lower the divisional standard set by Miss Class in 2022 by two-fifths of a second. Aaron Johnston trains and drove the new recordholder for his wife Jennifer and co-owner Brian Taylor. The filly’s feat was even more impressive considering that Classy Cocktail, a six-time winner and fair season’s recordholder for this group, had to settle for second.

Baby Tao knocked a fifth off the parallel standard for males by posting a 2:04.3 clocking. The altered son of Bar Hopping opened his fair campaign with a win, then recorded six straight seconds before winning a tick faster than former recordholder Blame It On Texas, set last year, for trainer/driver Tony Schadel, co-owner with wife Linda and Presli Poletti. (And Linda finished second with Lionheart Hanover in her first drive of the year.)

The Sweet Lou – Breakheart Pass gelding has now won in all three starts, in sub-2:01 time, since coming to the fairs and trainer Jeffrey Indof; here he paced the quickest mile of the two days of racing, 2:00.4, for driver Aaron Johnston and owners Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC.

Youthful veteran horseman Bob Krenitsky Jr. closed out Thursday’s action with his first-ever driving victory behind Wine Chaser.

The swiftest clocking during Friday’s three-year-old competition was turned in by a trotter. The Fordham Road filly Little Town Road, the 2023 Fair Championship winner, went in a brisk 2:01.4 for veteran owner/trainer/driver Roger Hammer. In eight fair starts this year, Little Town Road has two wins, one break, and five seconds to Loveyoubunches; before that she had posted thirds in three pari-mutuel stakes races, two Stallion Series events and a Pennsylvania All-Stars contest.

Aaron Johnston won both the drivers and trainers derby at Meyersdale. He guided five winners, with brother Shawn and Tony Schadel next in line with three; his four training triumphs was one more than the figure posted by Tony Schadel.

The marathon week of PA fair harness racing comes to a close at the Crawford County Fairgrounds in Meadville PA, where there will be 1 p.m. programs on both Saturday and Sunday.

For complete race results, click here: US Trotting Results

From the MSOA, PHHA, and the PFHHA partnership