CLEARFIELD – Four trotters in the 2012 freshman class earned their maiden wins while several of the more successful two-year-olds on the Pennsylvania fair harness racing circuit also wound up in the winner’s circle during the third card of the Clearfield County Fair meet Wednesday afternoon at the Driving Park.
Chris Shaw was the only doublewinner as eight different drivers brought their fillies and colts back to the front of the grandstand for presentations of cooler blankets.
Fans thought Roger Hammer, the leader for the Charles “Buster” DiSalvo Trophy that goes to the week’s winningest driver, also was a doublewinner when Albany House edged Prince Lauxmont by a neck in the second of four dashes in the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Colt Trot, but a judge’s inquiry resulted in the bay colt c0-owned by Hammer and the Ervin Miller Stable of Debary, Fla., being placed second.
Hammer had scored with Lindyofalifetime in the third heat of the PASS Filly Trot for his fifth win.
The Bedford driver’s main challenger is Dave Brickell, who is one back after guiding Bsmaximummoondream to victory in the final race of the day.
The program got under way with wire-to-wire maiden victories by RT Let Her Rip and Order By Road in the Quaker State Trot.
RT Let Her Rip, owned by the Brocious Racing Stable of Marion Center, made it an easy trip for driver-trainer Bobby Rougeaux in the Rodan & Fields Dermatologist Division, winning by six lengths. The bay filly scored in 2:19 in her third start.
Order by Road, driven by Shaw for owner Mahlon H. Martin of East Earl, had a tougher time in just his second start but was able to hold off Paragon Winner, with Steve Schoeffel in the bike, by one length in the Backstage Crew Division. The black gelding now has a mark of 2:12.4.
Another close finish followed in the first of three PASS Filly Trot heats with trainer-driver William Daugherty, Jr., urging MM’s Miss Tess past Hammer’s Solicitation in the stretch to capture the Jeffrey “Niter” Hamilton Memorial Division by a length in 2:08.1, more than two seconds faster than her previous best time. The win was the third in six starts for bay filly owned by Jim Daugherty of Mercer.
In the Brooke Erin Yeager Memorial Division, Eric Neal had Classical Love first out of the gate, but Shaw sent Bellagio Bay flying down the back lane to grab the lead, and the bay fill owned by the Dunn Stable of Cochranton went break into the win column in her seventh start. She beat Classical Love to the wire by 2-1/4 lengths to score in 2:09.2.
Lindyofalifetime had clear sailing in the Chester D. Bailey, Jr., Memorial Division after the other three trotters went off gait in the first turn, cruising to a 25-length lead at the quarter pole. Hammer didn’t allow the Dunn Stable-owned bay filly to back up to her pursuers, though. Lindyofalifetime was 12 lengths in front when she stopped the clock at 2:05.2. The fastest mile of the day broke her lifetime mark by 7.2 seconds. Lindyofalifetime, trained by Walter “Boots” Dunn, sports three wins in six trips to the gate.
Neal picked up his third win of the week with Roe Is Me in the Betty Mae Waroquier Memorial Division of the PASS Colt Trot. He kept the brown gelding owned by trainer William Kreutzer of Rural Valley second behind RT Left Hook, driven by Rougeaux, for the first half mile before moving him in front down the backstretch. Roe Is Me’s maiden win was by 2-3/4 lengths in 2:10.4.
The exciting finish to the Hallstrom Family Division materialized only after Well Spiced, with Shaw in the sulky, broke coming out of the final turn after setting the pace from the start.
Albany House inherited the lead and appeared to have beaten fast-closing Prince Lauxmont in 2:08, but the judge’s ruling was that Hammer had cut off the inside lane for the bay gelding driven by trainer Wayne Long. So, Albany House was placed second and Prince Lauxmont was declared the winner. Prince Lauxmont now has three wins in six starts for co-owners Long and Joyce Lineweaver over Camden, Del.
Montour County dominated the Walter Jackson, Sr., Memorial Division after early breaks by two of the other four first-year trotters, going under the wire 7-1/2 lengths ahead of Birthday DeVille for his fifth win in eight starts. The bay gelding scored in 2:08.2 to push his earnings over $10,500 for owners John D. McMullen and Michelle McMullen of Armagh.
Bsmaximummoondream made it four wins in a row and six in eight trips to the starting gate for Brickell, who also is the bay gelding’s trainer and co-owner with his sister-in-law, Susan Brickell. Bsmaximummmoondream, 1-1/4 lengths ahead of Daugherty’s Broadway Vino at the finish, went over $15,000 in earnings with the 2:06.1 trip.
Eight races for 42 three-year-old pacers will bring down the curtain on the meet Thursday. Post time is noon.
Wednesday’s results with place, horses name, post position in parenthesis, and driver:
Quaker State 2-Year-Old Trot
Rodan & Fields Dermatologist Division (Purse $1,345) – 1. RT Let Her Rip (1), R. Rougeaux III; 2. Gliders Girl (4), W. Long; 3. Boo’s Party Girl (3), C. Shaw; 4. Zolena (2), K. McGee. TIME: 2:19. Scratched – Windsun Sedona (5).
Backstage Crew Division (Purse $1,345) – 1. Order By Road (2), C. Shaw; 2. Paragon Winner (3), S. Schoeffel; 3. Perfect Tententen (1), E. Petersheim; 4. Barons Mighty Mite (5), B. Brown; 5. Holy Warrior (4), C. Flickinger. TIME: 2:12.4.
Pennsylvania Sire Stakes 2-Year-Old Filly Trot
Jeffrey “Niter” Hamilton Memorial Division (Purse $4,041) – 1. MM’s Miss Tess (5), W. Daugherty, Jr.; 2. Solicitation (4), R. Hammer; 3. Fame And Fortunate (3), C. Shaw; 4. Certain Destiny (1), E. Petersheim; 5. Lyuba (2), R. Rougeaux III. TIME: 2:08.1.
Brooke Erin Yeager Memorial Division (Purse $4,041) – 1. Bellagio Bay (3), C. Shaw; 2. Classical Love (2), E. Neal; 3. Troublebeginsnow (5), F. Uber, Jr.; 4. Rolling Star (4), W. Daugherty, Jr.; 5. Lexie Fishman (1), R. Neal. TIME: 2:09.2.
Chester D. Bailey, Jr., Memorial Division (Purse $3,991) – 1. Lindyofalifetime (4), R. Hammer; 2. Lady Broadway (3), B. Truitt; 3. Classical Hooray (1), S. Schoeffel; 4. Tommys Cover Girl (2), J. Dodson. TIME: 2:05.2.
Pennsylvania Sire Stakes 2-Year-Old Colt Trot
Betty Mae Waroquier Memorial Division (Purse $3,161) – 1. Roe Is Me (2), E. Neal; 2. Spicey Victor (5), S. Schoeffel; 3. RT Left Hook (3), R. Rougeaux III; 4. Downhill Racer (4), C. Shaw; 5. Regrets Only (1), D. Swaney; 6. Polamalu (6), R. Hammer. TIME: 2:10.4.
Hallstrom Family Division (Purse $3,161) – Finished 2, placed 1. Prince Lauxmont (5), W. Long; Finished 1, placed 2. Albany House (3), R. Hammer; 3. Well Spiced (2), C. Shaw; 4. Tuscarora Action (1), C. Kreiser; 5. Regal Glide (4), W. Daugherty, Jr.; 6. RT War Machine (6), R. Rougeaux III. TIME: 2:08.
Walter Jackson, Sr., Memorial Division (Purse $3,111) – 1. Montour County (1), B. Truitt; 2. Birthday Deville (4), S. Schoeffel; 3. Be A Shark (2), R. Hammer; 4. Well Suited (5), C. Shaw; 5. Trader (3), E. Neal. TIME: 2:08.2.
Legends Sports Bar Division (Purse $3,111) – 1. Bsmaximummoondream (1), D. Brickell; 2. Broadway Vino (2), W. Daugherty, Jr.; 3. More Proof (4), C. Shaw; 4. MM’s Bad Boy (5), J. Kirkbride; 5. Unoriginal (3), B. Truitt. TIME: 2:06.1.
