Schadel team combine for six winners

BEDFORD PA – The Pennsylvania fair circuit pulled into this borough south and roughly halfway between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg for a two-card fair meet, but wet weather caused the Thursday harness racing card, to be devoted to two-year-olds, to have to cancel, the first of the Pennsylvania season. (Jake Hoover is soon due for better luck.)

But Bedford bounced right back, and the three-year-olds put on a magnificent Friday of racing, topped by a magnificent day for driver-husband Tony Schadel and trainer-wife Linda, the hottest pairing on the circuit, who combined for six winners on the day, including a winner in three of the four “A” events in the Pennsylvania Fair Stakes which they jointly own.

Tony and Linda got proceedings off to a fast start by taking the two divisions of the filly pace. The quicker of the two winners was the Bettor’s Wish miss Tina’s Wish, who lowered her overall record almost five seconds with a 1:56.4 win over the half-mile oval. Her stablemate Milagro, 2024 Fair Champion and author of the 1:55.2 fastest mile of the young fair season at Hughesville, then won her fourth consecutive fair start in 1:59.

On the pacing colt side, the main fireworks were provided by fair newcomer Fasting, a Stay Hungry gelding who blazed the twicearound in 1:56, quickest time of the meet, and of the fair year for his division, for driver Eric Neal and trainer Mitchell York, the latter co-owner with Erin York. The clocking was not far off the all-time Bedford track record of 1:55.2, first set in 2021 by the fillyTiamogonedancen (trained and co-owned at the time by York) and later matched by the gelding Captaincountrystar.

The former colt divisional leader, the Captain Crunch colt Bettor Not, became the first horse to notch five “A” wins in 1:59.2, furthering his 2:00 total to four (Milagro has three) for trainer-driver Todd Schadel, co-owner with Christine Schadel.

Author of the fastest trotting victory of the meet was the Cantab Hall gelding Cantab Zette, whose 2:00.3 mile ended the undefeated fair streak of Set The Bar (winner in 1:58.4 for the Hughesville and seasonal trotting record). Cantab Zette won for driver Eric Neal and trainer Susan Callihan, the latter co-owner with Gregory Callihan, Nichole Buchleitner, and Amber Setznefand. Tony and Linda Schadel kept their hand in with a 2:03.2 victory by 2024 Fair Champion Lionheart Hanover, a Greenshoe gelding.

The Families Schadel were honors even in the filly trots. The Cantab Hall miss Classy Cocktail was the quicker in 2:00.4 for Team Todd Schadel; brother Tony guided the International Moni filly Tally The Tab to a 2:02 victory in the other section.

(By the way, the final winner for Tony and Linda, the “B” winner Baby Tao, an altered son of Bar Hopping, does have a co-owner in Presli Poletti.)

The Keystone fair circuit now has its longest break of the entire summer until racing resumes on Saturday, August 2 and Sunday, August 3 at the Erie County Fairgrounds in Wattsburg PA, its “two-day” meet. Post time for both cards will be at 1 p.m.

For complete race results, click here: US Trotting results.

From the PFHHA, MSOA and the PHHA partnership