CLEARFIELD – Roger Hammer’s success in the sulky has made him a popular favorite of Clearfield County Fair harness racing fans for years, and the Bedford owner-trainer treated Tuesday’s Driving Park crowd to four wins with his own two-year-old pacers.
Consecutive wins by Life’sarealbeach, Cebu Hanover and Quik Response in the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Filly Pace and a convincing victory by Falcon’s Breeze in the first PASS Colt Pace dash gave the perennial contender for the Charles “Buster” DiSalvo Trophy the lead for the drivers’ award midway through the 2012 meet.
Hammer’s main challenger going into Wednesday’s nine-race program for freshmen trotters and Thursday’s eight-race card for three-year-old pacers is Dave Brickell as the Smicksburg reinsman moved past Eric Neal of Punxsutawney with his second and third wins behind filly DVC Jaded Attitude and colt Coffee Vendor.
A trio of drivers had to stop in front of the grandstand to accept cooler blankets for the first time, Wayne Long after steering Fool Bewitch U to a come-from-behind victory in the lone Quaker State Race and Aaron Johnson for taking Mein Schatz from third to first in the stretch and Brady Brown keeping Captain Kubota on the front end all the way in the final two PASS colt races.
The Kevin A. Beardsley Funeral Home opener produce two lead changes after Sheza Skipalong, with owner Cory Kreiser in the bike, set the pace on the first trip around the half-mile oval. Travis Kolaczynski sent Dixie Terror to the front down the back lane, but Kreiser pulled Sheza Skipalong outside around the final turn and past the brown colt in mid-stretch to score in 2:06.2.
The 2-1/4-length win was the second in seven starts for the bay filly trained by John Kreiser.
Then, it was Hammer Time in the PASS Filly Race.
Life’sarealbeach and Cebu Hanover made it easy for him, flashing under the wire unchallenged with leads of 10-3/4 and 8-3/4 lengths, respectively.
They posted the fastest times of the day for the final half-mile.
Life’sarealbeach separated herself from the field with every stride in the stretch to claim The Progress Division trophy in 2:02.3, closing in one minute flat after drivers Chris Shaw and Timmy Offutt got Soft Velvet and Star Dancer close as they paced past the grandstand for the first time.
The third victory in seven starts boosted Life’sarealbeach’s earnings into five figures.
Cebu Hanover got back on the winning track after five disappointing outings by pacing the last half in 59.3 seconds to lower her lifetime mark to 2:03 in the Dunlap-Swales Memorial Division. And that’s with Hammer easing the bay filly up near the finish of her second win in eight trips to the gate.
Quik Response had to work harder in the Ward Fink Memorial Division.
The brown filly was passed at the half-mile pole by Real Leggy, sporting two wins in two starts for trainer-driver Wayne Long, but Hammer kept her in the pocket until they reached the lane. Quik Response responded with a strong finish to score in 2:02.3. She has placed in all five starts, including two victories.
In the Auto Mart of Clearfield Division, DVC Jaded Attitude went by Offutt’s Family Fiesta as they crossed under the wire the first time and steadily built the margin to 9-1/2 lengths at the end of the 2:02.2 trip.
Brickell also owns and trains the bay filly that has five wins and two thirds in eight starts for earnings of $11,254.
Hammer capped his big day in the Richie Salvatore Memorial Division of the PASS Colt Race with Falcon’s Breeze coasting to his sixth victory, his fourth in a row on the fair circuit, by 7-1/2 lengths in 2:04.4. The brown colt, second in his other two starts, has earned $18,365 already.
The Crawford Williams Memorial was shaping up to be a down-to-the-wire duel between West Coast Breeze, driven by Offutt, and Jungle of Terror, with Steve Schoeffel in the bike, until their wheels clipped at the top of the stretch.
Mein Schatz raced past on the outside to win by four lengths in 2:03.3, lowering her lifetime mark by 3.1 seconds. The bay colt trained by Johnston for James E. Biego of Beaver Falls, shows two wins, a second and two thirds in five starts.
Following the judge’s inquiry, Jungle of Terror was penalized one spot because of the interference ruling to place third, with West Coast Breeze being awarded second place.
The afternoon’s closest finish occurred in the E. Jay Master Memorial Division as Coffee Vendor nipped Lauxmont Party, with Johnston in the sulky, by a neck for his maiden win in 2:07.
The brown gelding owned by James M. Brewer, Jr., and James R. Brewer of Chicora was last out of the gate, and Brickell was content to keep him fourth after Yankinmychain broke going into the first turn. Coffee Vendor was third at the three-quarter pole and second coming out of the final turn before tracking down Lauxmont Party in the stretch.
A scratch left two-time winner Captain Kubota and three pacers showing only two thirds in seven races for the David E. Franson Memorial, and they went under the wire in the same order they left the gate.
Captain Kubota, owned by Jeffrey Michel Fleming, Jr., of Belle Vernon and trained by Michael Gillock, led all the way for a one-length victory over Kreiser’s Mcscape Artist in 2:10. The bay gelding has gone over the $11,000 mark in winnings after just five starts.
Tuesday’s results, with place, horse’s name, post position in parentheses, and driver’s name:
Kevin A. Beardsley Funeral Home Quaker State 2-Year-Old Pace
(Purse $2,538) – 1. Fool Bewitch U (5), W. Long; 2. Dixie Terror (2), T. Kolaczynski; 3. Rampage K (3), B. Brown; 4. Nuclear Attraction (1), T. Offutt; 5. Sheza Skipalong (4), C. Kreiser; 6. Dinger One (6), J . Dodson. TIME: 2:06.2
Pennsylvania Sire Stakes 2-Year-Old Filly Pace
The Progress Division (Purse $3,201) – 1. Life’sarealbeach (3), R. Hammer; 2. Powerful Pulse (6), B. Brown; 3. Flirtin (5), E. Neal; 4. Star Dancer (2), T. Offutt; 5. Soft Velvet (4), C. Shaw; 6. Miss York County (1), B. Truitt. TIME: 2:02.3.
Dunlap-Swales Memorial Division (Purse $3,201) – 1. Cebu Hanover (1), R. Hammer; 2. Caviart Ginger (3), B. Brown; 3. Lil Miss Hot Pants (5), A. Johnston; 4. DVC Justlikemagic (2), J. Dodson; 5. RT Redyourrights (4), R. Rougeaux III. DNF – Poetry Jam (6), B. Ecker. TIME: 2:03.
Ward Fink Memorial Division ($3,201) – 1. Quik Response (3), R. Hammer; 2. Real Leggy (4), W. Long; 3. The Right Move (5), T. Kolaczynski; 4. Vahina (2), A. Johnston; 5. Shot At A Job (1), B. Ecker; 6. Shakira Babe (6), C. Kreiser. TIME: 2:02.3.
Auto Mart of Clearfield Division ($3,201) – 1. DVC Jaded Attitude (6), D. Brickell; 2. Family Fiesta (3), T. Offutt; 3. Blue Beyond (2), S. Schoeffel; 4. Metropromiss (5), B. Brown; 5. Royal Native (1), E. Neal; 6. Frothie Latte (4), R. Hammer. TIME: 2:02.2.
Pennsylvania Sire Stakes 2-Year-Old Colt Pace
Richie Salvatore Memorial Division (Purse $3,127) – 1. Falcon’s Breeze (5), R. Hammer; 2. Delightful Cash (1), C. Kreiser; 3. Employess Go Wild (2), T. Kolaczynski; 4. Angelslittlerascal (4), B. Brown; 5. Wrongwaytogo (3), C. Shaw. TIME: 2:04.4.
Crawford Williams Memorial Division (Purse $3,127) – 1. Mein Schatz (3), A. Johnston; finished 3, placed 2. West Coast Breeze (2), T. Offutt; finished 2, placed 3. Jungle of Terror (4), S. Schoeffel; 4. Enjoy The Ride (1), R. Hammer; 5. Native Ability (5), B. Brown. TIME: 2:03.3.
E. Jay Master Memorial Division (Purse $3,127) – 1. Coffee Vendor (3), D. Brickell; 2. Lauxmont Party (5), A. Johnston; 3. Bone Taker (2), R. Hammer; 4. Fast Fast Faster (4), S. Schoeffel; 5. Yankinmychain (1), B. Brown. TIME: 2:07.
David E. Franson Memorial Division (Purse ($3,127) – 1. Captain Kubota (1), B. Brown; 2. Mcscape Artist (5), C. Kreiser; 3. Vincere (4), A. Johnston; 4. RR’s Squatn Image (3), E. Neal. TIME: 2:10. Scratched – Charlie’s Chapel (2).