Win streaks extended at Dayton (PA) Fair

DAYTON, PA – A major theme running through the two days of Pennsylvania Fair Sire Stakes at the Dayton Fairgrounds was the quantity of horses who already had a nice number of fair wins adding to their totals, especially on Wednesday, when the two-year-olds raced.

In the colt divisions, trainer/driver Todd Schadel had a couple of horses fitting that description: one was the Papi Rob Hanover – Well What’s New pacing gelding Wheelhouse Hanover, undefeated in six “A” starts around the double ovals for Todd and co-owner/son Cody after the fastest freshman mile of 2:04 (Todd also swept the freshman colt paces with the “B” win of Alvin Hanover). There is also the Andover Hall – No Excuses trotting colt Andover’s Hotrod, undefeated in five “A” starts and the division’s season’s leader, who won for trainer/driver Schadel as owner in partnership with Calvin Hoover.

Four-time “A” winners included the Heston Blue Chip – Tremor Hanover pacing filly Dont Touch My T, trained and driven by Aaron Johnston for his wife Jennifer, and another horse driven by Aaron, the International Moni – K T Bird trotting gelding Mr Hopper, trained by Bill Daugherty Jr. for Susan Daugherty.

Keeping up their feud in the sophomore pacing colt ranks on Thursday were Schadelites Ante Up Hanover (6-5-1-0) and Twigg’s Pub (7-5-2-0). The Betting Line gelding Ante Up Hanover, the fastest horse of the fair season at 1:57, won their Dayton battle in the quickest time of the meet, 1:59.2, with Todd co-owning the winner with wife Christine.

Trainer/driver Steve Schoeffel swept the “A” events in the three-year-old colt trot: with Bird And Grenade (2:05), a Father Patrick gelding owned by Fair Cousins Stable and Kathy Schoeffel; the latter is also the co-owner of the Greenshoe gelding Cyclone Ben (2:04) with Stephen Lander, Roger Ramesser, and Renee Lovett.

Quickest trotter of the Dayton stand was Shady Maple Amber, a daughter of Andover Hall who won in 2:03.4 for driver Chris Shaw, trainer Ashley Brown, and First Up Racing Stable. This race also rates more than a passing glance because Loveyoubunches, who had been undefeated in five fair starts including setting four track records, got a miserable start and never could work back into contention.

A special cheer to 71-year-old Ronald Lubosco, a native New Jerseyan and a resident of Florida. who resumed his training/driver career last year with a one-horse stable, Good Queen Bess, and has added another this year. Good Queen Bess won first-over by a neck in 2:04.2 at Dayton, taking Lubosco to the winner’s circle for the first time in — 45 years! (You could look it up!)

For the only time this season at the PA Fairs, Thursday was a day when there was action at two fairs – here at Dayton, and racing for two-year-olds at the Somerset County Fair in Meyersdale PA. There will be a full report on the Meyersdale racing after Friday’s sophomore races, which start at noon. The whirlwind week will then conclude with Saturday and Sunday action at 1 p.m. at the Crawford County Fair in Meadville PA.

From the PHHA, PFHHA and the MSOA partnership