CLEARFIELD — With six wire-to-wire wins and only two close finishes, most of the drama during the program for three-year-old trotters in the 2013 Clearfield County Fair Harness Racing Meet was centered on the duel for the Charles “Buster” DiSalvo Trophy.
The always-popular Roger Hammer charged into the chase for the driving title with four wins at the Driving Park Wednesday, but Steve Schoeffel broke out of a three-way tie for the lead with three wins that doubled his total to six.
Schoeffel goes into the final day of the meet one win ahead of Hammer and Marc Mosher, who was able to share the top spot – briefly – with his two wins.
That trio brought their horses into the winner’s circle in front of the grandstand for cooler blanket presentations after every race except the ninth, when Wayne Long guided Prince Lauxmont to victory in the third of the four Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Colt divisions.
Schoeffel and Clearfield County Fair newcomer Mosher, who were deadlocked with Chris Shaw at the meet’s halfway mark, traded easy wins in the Quaker State Trot.
Luminosity gave Schoeffel one of the most pleasant sulky rides he’s ever experienced in the Queen Mom Arlene Swales Memorial Division by turning a 15-length lead the first time past the crowd into a whopping 35-length victory in 2:02.4, which stands as the fastest mile of the week.
The bay gelding owned by Maxx Fortune Stable of Butler and trained by Schoeffel has come on to win four races this year after placing second once and third once in seven starts as a two-year-old. Luminosity has earned more than $29,000 in 19 races.
Order By Road, a winner with Shaw in the bike at the Driving Park last year, also went wire-to-wire for Mosher, scoring in 2:09.2 for a new lifetime mark in his first win of the year and third in 17 career starts.
After Rolling Star, driven by William Daugherty Jr., went off gait rounding the final turn, Order By Road went on to beat Eric Neal’s Lexie Fishman by 7¼ lengths and boost his winnings to almost $13,000.
Mahlon Martin of East Earl is the owner of the black gelding that is trained by Syl King Jr.
In the first of the four PASS Filly Trot dashes, Olivet De Vie left the gate in third place but had clear sailing after all three of her rivals broke early on.
Schoeffel had another relaxed trip as the bay filly he trains for co-owners Stephen Lander of Herminie and Virginia and Kathy Schoeffel of Evans City won by 30¾ lengths in 2:06, bettering her previous lifetime mark by almost two seconds, to claim the Jeff “Niter” Memorial Division blanket.
Olivet De Vie sports three wins and more than $14,500 in earnings for 21 starts.
Solicitation was Hammer’s first winner with a 2:03.4 trip in the Brooke Erin Yeager Memorial Division.
Hammer also owns and trains the brown filly that won by 4½ lengths to increase her victory total to eight and earnings to more than $35,500 for 24 starts.
Her last four races were at the Harrah’s Philadelphia Racetrack in Chester, where she established a new lifetime mark by covering the mile in 1:58.2 for her only other win in 10 starts this year.
Hammer came right back in the Backstage Crew Division to drive Lindyofalifetime to a second Clearfield County Fair victory, albeit a tough one.
Third the first time around half-mile oval, the bay filly owned by the Dunn Stable of Cochranton and trained by Walter “Boots” Dunn was sent to the front end down the back side by Hammer and managed to go under the wire in front of Mosher’s Chrissy O by a neck.
Her 2:04.1 effort rivaled the 2:05.2 mile she trotted for Hammer a year ago and was her 10th win in 25 career starts. Lindyofalifetime has piled up almost $42,500 in earnings.
In the Dawson & Chandler Ross Division, Mosher tucked Homepage into third place and found open spaces the second time down the backside when the other three fillies went off stride.
Homepage, leased by trainer King of New Holland, glided to a 14½-length win, her sixth, in 2:06.4 to boost her winnings past $55,500 for 21 races.
Again, Schoeffel put Mosher one win back in a hurry with a textbook drive behind Luke Icewalker when the sophomore colt trotters took to the track in the Ernest Petersen Memorial Division.
Luke Icewalker, trained by Michael Gillock for co-owners Barbara and James Richardson of Washington and Richard Gillock of Belle Vernon, was fourth out of the gate, but Schoeffel had her in the pocket at the quarter pole and sat there until coming out of the final turn.
The bay gelding, coming off a 2:00.3 trip for a win in a qualifier at The Meadows in Washington Friday night, got up in deep stretch to pass BSMaximummoondream, driven by Eric Neal, and win by two lengths in 2:02.2.
Luke Icewalker had only one win last year but now shows five wins and more than $17,000 in earnings for 18 starts.
Ruddy Rusty was No. 1 in the program and No. 1 throughout the Fritz Beinhauer Memorial Division for Hammer, scoring in 2:03.3 for a 7¾-length victory five days after losing by a neck after a 1:56 trip in an Arden Downs Stakes race at The Meadows Friday.
A chestnut gelding owned by the Dunn Stable, Ruddy Rusty has placed in 10 of his 14 starts this year, including a win in 1:55.4 at the Pocono Downs. His career totals are six wins and more than $48,000 in earnings.
Long finally cracked the Schoeffel-Hammer-Mosher domination in the Donald and Martha Urban Memorial Division, sending Prince Lauxmont to the front at the gate and keeping him there for a five-length win in 2:05.2.
The bay gelding’s fourth consecutive win on the Pennsylvania Fair Circuit was his 12th in 26 career starts. He’s returned nearly $43,500 to Long, who also is the trainer, and Joyce Lineweaver, both of Camden, Del.
A year ago in the Hallstrom Family Division for two-year-olds at the fair, Prince Lauxmont finished second behind Albany House but was placed first ahead of the Hammer-driven entry.
In the Liberty Tax Division, it was all Southwind Glider with Hammer in the bike following breaks by the bay gelding’s two closest pursuers, Brian Weaver’s Heidis Dreamweaver after the first quarter and Shaw’s Tuscarora Action after the half.
Owned by trainer William Kruetzer of Rural Valley and Denton Barrett of Marion Center, Southwind Glider was 9¾ lengths clear of Neal’s Regal Glide at the wire, scoring in 2:03.4 for a new lifetime mark with his second win in 11 starts.
Purses were $26,339 to push the three-day total to $81,425.
Three-year-old pacers will close the meet with 10 races Thursday. Post time is at noon.
Wednesday’s results, with place, horse’s name, post position in parentheses, and driver’s name:
Quaker State 3-Year-Old Trot
Queen Mom Arlene Swales Memorial Division (Purse $1,212) – 1. Luminosity (4), S. Schoeffel; 2. Hay The Bushwacker (2), S. Miller; 3. General Empire (3), K. MacLeod Jr.; 4. RT Let Her Rip (1), R. Rougeaux III. TIME: 2:02.4.
Dunlap-Swales Memorial Division (Purse $1,213) – 1. Order By Road (2), M. Mosher; 2. Lexie Fishman (1), E. Neal; 3. Rolling Star (3), William Daugherty Jr.; 4. Jersey Rebel (4), C. Kreiser. TIME: 2:09.2.
Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Filly 3-Year-Old Trot
Jeff “Niter” Hamilton Memorial Division (Purse $2,946) – 1. Olivet De Vie (1), S. Schoeffel; 2. Caviar Miss (3), W. Lineweaver; 3. Bellagio Bay (4), C. Shaw; 4. Monroe County (2), A. Johnston. TIME: 2:06.
Brooke Erin Yeager Memorial Division (Purse $2,996) – 1. Solicitation (2), R. Hammer; 2. SJ’s Hottie Won (5), W. Long; 3. Boo’s Party Girl (4), C. Shaw; 4. Tommy’s Cover Girl (1), J. Dodson; 5. RT Point Prover (3), R. Rougeaux III. TIME: 2:03.4.
Backstage Crew Division (Purse $2,996) – 1. Lindyofalifetime (3), R. Hammer; 2. Chrissy O (2), M. Mosher; 3. Easter Leggs (1), B. Brown; 4. Windsun Sedona (5), S. Gastelu; 5. Mango Celone (4), S. Johnston. TIME: 2:04.1.
Dawson & Chandler Ross Division (Purse $2,946) – 1. Homepage (1), M. Mosher; 2. MM’s Miss Tess (2), W. Daugherty Jr.; 3. Wild Ninny (3), C. Shaw; 4. Classical Hooray (4), S. Schoeffel. TIME: 2:06.4.
Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Colt 3-Year-Old Trot
Ernest Petersen Memorial Division (Purse $2,995) – 1. Luke Ice walker (5), S. Schoeffel; 2. BSMaximummoondream (3), E. Neal; 3. Adler Hanover (4), Hammer; 4. Unlimited Speed BN (2), K. MacLeod Jr.; 5. RT Left Hook (1), R. Rougeaux III. TIME: 2:03.2.
Fritz Beinhauer Memorial Division (Purse $2,995) – 1. Ruddy Rusty (1), R. Hammer; 2. Roe Is Me (3), W. Lineweaver; 4. Broadway Vino (4), W. Daugherty Jr.; 4. Dufler (5), Schoeffel; 5. MM’s Brilliant One (2), W. Long. TIME: 2:03.3.
Donald & Martha Urban Memorial Division (Purse $2,995) – 1. Prince Lauxmont (1), W. Long; 2. Jon Bovi (2), R. Hammer; 3. Classic Banker (5), W. Daugherty Jr.; 4. Montour County (4), A. Johnston; 5. RT Rock Solid (3), R. Rougeaux III. TIME: 2:05.2.
Liberty Tax Division (Purse $3,045) – 1. Southwind Glider (3), R. Hammer; 2. Regal Glide (1), E. Neal; 3. Southwind Ace (5), J. Dodson; 4. Heidis Dream weaver (3), B. Weaver; 5. Tuscarora Action (6), C. Shaw; 6. Cute Caleb (2), K. MacLeod Jr. TIME: 2:03.4.