CLEARFIELD — The three-year-old filly and colt pacers put on a great show for the biggest Driving Park grandstand crowd of the week while Steve Schoeffel turned the chase for the driving title into a runaway in the final program for the 2013 Clearfield County Fair Harness Racing Meet Thursday.
Six of the 10 dashes were decided in the stretch with come-from-behind wins that had the fans on their feet.
Schoeffel was involved in only one of those, Skylight’s Finale beaten at the wire in the last race, but that came well after he had locked up his fifth Charles “Buster” DiSalvo Memorial Trophy with three wire-to-wire victories.
The 43-year-old owner-trainer-driver, who resides near Evans City, was the lone driver with wins all four days and wound up with nine to outdistance Roger Hammer and Marc Mosher. They shared second with five wins apiece after Hammer was unable to mount any pressure on Schoeffel in four drives.
“I love it up here,” Schoeffel said moments after accepting the DiSalvo Trophy from Pio DiSalvo, Buster’s brother; Stephen Roessner, a great-nephew, and Ed Chaplin, a friend of the DiSalvo family. “I’ve been coming here since I was 13 or 14. I might have missed a few years when I was younger, but I come every year now.”
“We came in Saturday. I had to drive back and forth, but my kids stayed in the camper.”
Schoeffel, one of the leading drivers on the Pennsylvania Fair Circuit and a member of the 1,000-Win Club since September 2011, returned home daily to transport horses to and work with some of the 25 trotters and pacers he trains at stables on the Butler Fairgrounds as well as the family farm.
Most of his winners on the Driving Park oval were co-owned by his wife, Kathy, and mother, Virginia, along with other individuals.
M.A. Munn of Alden, N.Y., and J.A. Dedoszak of Varysburg, N.Y., are part owners of Sweet Tala, a wire-to-wire winner in the Clearfield County Fair Division of the Pennsylvania Sire Stake Filly Pace that was the DiSalvo Trophy clincher for Schoeffel.
The bay filly, which scored in 2:07.3 for a 4¼-length victory in the sixth race on the card, was one of the top two-year-old pacers in the state last year with $115,049 in earnings for just nine starts.
In her first start, Sweet Talia won a $30,000 All-Star Race at Pocono Downs.
Later, she registered a first and a second in two of the four legs of the pari-mutuel PASS races that carried purses of nearly $113,000.
“She raced at the Poconos, Chester and The Meadows last year,” Schoeffel said. “I took her to one fair (Bloomsburg) right at the end, and she got beat. It was a little embarrassing.
“She was a real nice two-year-old. She shouldn’t be here, but she didn’t come back good this year.
“It’s a heart-breaker. She’s got allergies, and I don’t know how much they’re bothering her. We’re treating her for them, but I don’t think it’s helping her that much.”
Sweet Talia was good enough against four rivals Thursday to post her second win in 14 starts this year and pad her winnings to $129,141.
Schoeffel took a firm grip on the driving crown earlier with back-to-back wins.
Gingerbread Rock clipped off a 2.04.2 trip to win the Quaker State Pace Chidboy Funeral Home Division by 1½ lengths and Have More Wine set the fractions in the PASS Filly Pace David Franson Memorial Division to score in 2:02.1 for a three-length victory.
For Gingerbread Rock, a brown filly owned by Richard Gillock and Paula Sokol of Belle Vernon, the win was her first in nine starts this year but her fifth in 18 lifetime starts. Her winnings have topped $19,000.
With was the fastest mile of the week at the time, Have More Wine boosted her earnings to $42,734 for Kathy and Virginia Schoeffel, J.M. Reuther of East Aurora, N.Y., and J.A. Nelson of Evans City. Have More Win has six wins in 14 trips to the gate this year and eight wins in 22 starts lifetime.
Drivers Todd Schadel and Brady Brown were doublewinners.
Schadel was in the sulky behind Keystone Wanda for a 2.01.2 trip that bettered Have More Wine’s time and resulted in a 13¼-length victory in the PASS Filly Pace Betty Mae Waroquier Memorial Division.
The bay filly trainer Schadel co-owns with Christine Schadel of Gratz has three wins this year, including one in 1:53.2 at the Harrah’s Philadelphia Racetrack in Chester, and seven wins in 26 lifetime starts for $51,200 in earnings.
In the ninth race, the Bob Schucker Memorial Division of the PASS Colt Pace, Schadel sent his own Plenty of Spunk around Hammer’s Camturo Beach in the stretch for a ¾-length win in 2:03.1.
The bay gelding had only one win in 25 previous lifetime starts but recorded sub-1:56 trips in consecutive starts at Harrah’s Philadelphia Racetrack earlier in the summer.
Brown turned in two of the most impressive drives of the day.
He guided Naked At The Beach, owned by Howard Millhime of Woodville, Ohio, from fifth and last at the halfway mark to a exciting, 1¾-length win in the Michael “Mikey” Rowles Memorial Division of the PASS Filly Pace.
Naked At The Beach was fourth with a quarter-mile to go and still third by 2¼ lengths at the top of the stretch before going three wide to pass Chris Shaw’s In A Better Place and Aaron Johnston’s She’salilfireball for a 2:01.2 trip that tied for fastest of the meet.
The bay filly has racked up four wins, one in 1:56.1 at the Meadows, and four seconds in nine starts this year after failing to win in eight starts last year. She’s earned more than $19,000.
In the eighth race, the Buster’s Sports Bar Division of the PASS Colt Pace, Brown almost mirrored his other winning drive.
Captain Kubota went off gait in the first turn after leaving the gate on the lead.
By the time the five-horse field reached the three-quarter pole, Brown had the Gillock-owned bay gelding in front.
Dinger Two, driven by James Dodson, reclaimed the lead rounding the final turn, but Captain Kubota still had enough in reserve to come back again and streak under the wire with a ¾-length advantage in 2:03.2.
Captain Kubota went over the $50,000 mark in winnings with his fourth victory in 2013 and his 12th win in 26 lifetime starts.
In the Quaker State Pace’s Ceci Lizotte Memorial Division that opened the card, Shaw got his fourth win of the week, taking Ataway Kendra past Shawn Johnston’s Look To The Stars in the stretch for a ¾-length victory in 2:10.
The bay filly’s maiden win came in her 19th start. She is owned by Jason Shaw of Scenery Hill.
Dodson became a doublewinner for the week when Dinger One, owned by Ronald Lineweaver of Dayton, got around Hammer’s Falcon’s Breeze in the stretch to score in 2:02.2 for a 2½-length victory in the Charles “Chick” Young Memorial Division of the PASS Colt Pace.
Dinger One, which finished last in a Quaker State race at the fair last year, has won four races and placed third six times in 17 starts this year. The black gelding has six career wins with more than $12,000 in earnings for 29 starts.
Aaron Johnston and Mein Schatz punctuated the meet with an exciting finish to the Neeper’s Sweet Treats Division of the PASS Colt Pace to match their win in a PASS 2YO Colt Pace at the Driving Park last year.
Fourth in the six-horse field the first time around the half-mile oval, Mein Schatz was moved into the three-hole for most of the next trip. Then, Johnston went three wide to overtake Schoeffel’s Skylite’s Finale and Hammer’s Enjoy The Ride to grab a one-length win in 2:02.4.
Owned by James Biego of Beaver Falls, Mein Schatz has piled up more than $41,000 with 11 wins in 24 starts. The bay gelding shows three wins and three seconds in nine starts this year.
HOOFBEATS — Fourteen drivers brought the horses into the winner’s circle to be draped with the race sponsor’s cooler blankets during the week, and 11 of them made it more than once… Shaw finished right behind Hammer and Mosher with four wins, while Johnston collected three and Marty Wollam, Wayne Long, Cory Kreiser, Dodson, Schadel and Brown had two apiece… The 41 races broke the Clearfield County Fair record, while the $107,969 in payouts was second all-time and the 201 entries ranked third… Race Secretary Ron Neeper and assistant Paul Lanich were in charge of the four-day program… Jeanne Urban handled Clerk-of-Course duties with the help of Polly Neeper.
Thursday’s results, with place, horse’s name, post position in parentheses, and driver’s name:
Quaker State 3-Year-Old Pace
Ceci Lizotte Memorial Division (Purse $1,232) – 1. Ataway Kendra (2), C. Shaw; 2. Look To The Stars (3), S. Johnston; 3. Elby’soutatown (1), B. Brown; 4. TSM Goldstarcruise (4), J. Dodson. TIME: 2:10.
Chidboy Funeral Home Division (Purse $1,232) – 1. Ginderbread Rock (2), S. Schoeffel; 2. Fool Bewitch U (4), J. Dodson; 3. Thunder Chaser (3), C. Flickinger; 4. Flying Artist (1), S. Johnston. TIME: 2:04.2.
Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Filly 3-Year-Old Pace
David Franson Memorial Division (Purse $3,011) – 1. Have More Wine (3), S. Schoeffel; 2. Cebu Hanover (2), R. Hammer; 3. Wicked Elphaba (5), B. Brocklehurst; 4. Just Another Round (4), C. Shaw; 5. Powerful Pulse (1), B. Brown. TIME: 2:02.1.
Betty Mae Waroquier Memorial Division (Purse $2,961) – 1. Keystone Wanda (1), T. Schadel; 2. Candy For The Lady (2), C. Shaw; 3. Miss York County (4), A. Johnston; 4. RT Redyourrights (3), R. Rougeaux III. TIME: 2:01.2.
Michael “Mikey” Rowles Memorial Division (Purse $3,011) – 1. Naked At The Beach (4), B. Brown; 2. In A Better Place (5), C. Shaw; 3. She’salilfireball (2), A. Johnston; 4. Life’sarealbeach (1), R. Hammer; 5. Shakira Babe (3), C. Kreiser. TIME: 2:01.2.
Clearfield County Fair Division (Purse $3,011) – 1. Sweet Talia (1), S. Schoeffel; 2. (dead heat) DVC Just In Stride (2), C. Shaw, and Caviart Ginger (3), B. Brown;4. RT Sothatsthat (5), J. Dodson; 5. Blue Beyond (4), S. Johnston. TIME: 2:07.3.
Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Colt 3-Year-Old Pace
Charles “Chick” Young Memorial Division (Purse $3,009) – 1. Dinger One (3), J. Dodson; 2. Sky Lauxmont (1), C. Shaw; 3. Coffee Vendor (2), A. Johnston; 4. Falcon’s Breeze (5), R. Hammer; 5. Wrongwaytogo (4), C. Flickinger. TIME: 2:02.2.
Buster’s Sports Bar Division (Purse $3,009) – 1. Captain Kubota (4), B. Brown; 2. Dinger Two (1), J. Dodson; 3. Cruising Machine (5), A. Johnston; Finished 5, placed 4. Old Lang Sign (2), W. Popio; Finished 4, placed 5. Jungle Of Terror (3), S. Schoeffel. TIME: 2:03.2.
Bob Schucker Memorial Division (Purse $3,009) – 1. Plenty of Spunk (1), T. Schadel; 2. Camturo Beach (3), R. Hammer; 3. Vincere (2), A. Johnston; 4. Nuclear Brown (5), C. Shaw; 5. Native Dad (4), B. Brown. TIME: 2:03.1.
Neeper’s Sweet Treats Division ($3,059) – 1. Mein Schatz (4), A. Johnston; 2. Skylite’s Finale (2), S. Schoeffel; 3. Enjoy the Ride (3), R. Hammer; 4. Mcscape Artist (6), C. Shaw; 5. Lauxmont Party (5), C. Kreiser; 6. Amiodarone (1), W. Popio. TIME: 2:02.4.