CLEARFIELD — A photo finish in one of four races decided in the Driving Park stretch was the highlight of the Clearfield County Fair harness racing meet’s opening card for two-year-old trotters that attracted a large crowd Sunday afternoon.
Gee Wizz George’s narrow victory over Intense Standoff rewarded a great drive by Ron Harvey in the Moyer’s Auto Body Division of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Colt Trot.
The bay gelding owned by Maryann and Richard Rastetter of West Alexander went off gait right after the start and was a distant fourth at the quarter pole.
Harvey guided Gee Wizz George, coming off a win in 2:02.1 at The Meadows Wednesday, into the lead at the half, but the Jean Rastetter-trained colt had answer Intense Standoff’s late challenge to score in 2:08 for his fourth win in six starts.
Rick Beinhauer had the bay gelding he trains and co-owns with his wife, Regina, momentarily in front in deep stretch before Gee Wizz George rallied to win by a nose to push his winnings to $8,671.
In the only other fairly close finish, Opal Hanover came from behind after rounding the final turn to end No Not Yet’s three-race winning streak by 1¼ lengths in 2:08.2 in the PASS Filly Trot’s Foster Kerr Memorial Division.
Opal Hanover, with just one third in five previous trips to the gate, had surrendered the lead to No Not Yet at the three-quarter pole, but Todd Schadel sent the bay filly inside and past Aaron Johnston’s brown filly at the top of the stretch.
Schadel also trains the filly he and his wife, Christine, own.
Players Do Matter joined Opal Hanover in the maiden win category with a 2:10.2 trip for driver-trainer Wayne Long in the PASS Filly Trot’s E. Jay Master Memorial Division.
Third behind Roger Hammer’s Dark Money and Ladarrius Whittaker’s Learning Lindy at the three-quarters pole, Long took the bay filly owned by James Costello of Norwood outside and to the front coming out of the final turn.
Players Do Matters pulled away to a 5¾-lengthy victory.
The lone wire-to-wire wins were posted by All Set Lets Go and All Champy in back-to-back races.
All Set Lets Go continued to impress with her fifth win in eight starts, driven by David Wade to a 2:08.4 mile in the PASS Filly Trot’s Richard and Betty Fink Memorial Division.
The bay filly trained by John McMullen Jr. for the McMullen Stable LLC of Armaugh has placed in every race to pile up $28,809, the majority resulting from The Stallion Series second at The Meadows and win in 1:58.1 at Pocono Downs earlier this month.
All Champy scored in 2:10.2 for Hammer in The Ward Fink Memorial Division of the PASS Colt Trot.
Hammer also trains and co-owns, with Vicky Lynn Fair of Bedford, the bay gelding that has two wins and $4,101 to show for seven starts.
Classic Playter made Long the lone doublewinner driver and matched Gee Wizz George for the fastest twicearound of the day, 2:08, in the PASS Colt Trot’s Hallstrom Family Division.
Hammer had Keep Truckin On setting the pace most of the race, but Long took the outside lane in the stretch for Classic Playter’s second win in four starts.
Long trains and co-owns the bay gelding with Wyatt Long of Camden, Del.
After being parked in the entire trip, Brady Brown found an opening coming out of the final turn and guided Crazy Clyde past Schoeffel’s Rockefeller Lindsay for a 2¾-length win in the Butch Flanagan Memorial Division of the PASS Colt Trot.
Jason Bresnahan trains for owner Clyde Bresnahan of Butler, and their brown gelding has crossed the line first in three of six races for $5,262 in purses.
In the lone Quaker State race that kicked off the four-day meet, driver-trainer Steve Schoeffel took Brauti Hanover outside around the first turn and on to a 17½-length victory to claim the Earl Hallstrom Memorial cooler blanket.
The bay filly’s 2:08.4 mile for her third win increased her earnings to $5,097 after just six starts for owners Virginia and Kathy Schoeffel, James Nelson and the BPN Partnership.
Post time will be noon for the next three cards, with 40 two-year-old pacers going to the post Tuesday in nine races with purses totaling $28,816.
Sunday’s results, with horse’s name, number in parenthesis, and jockey’s name:
QUAKER STATE TWO-YEAR-OLD TROT
The Earl Hallstrom Memorial (Purse $2,517) – 1. Brauti Hanover (5), S. Schoeffel; 2. Mustache Bill (4), W. Long; 3. Take A Flyer (3), L. Mullet; 4. Elegant Note (2), E. Neal. TIME: 2:08.4. Scratched: Chip Hanover (1).
PENNSYLVANIA SIRE STAKES TWO-YEAR-OLD FILLY TROT
Foster Kerr Memorial Division (Purse $3,548) – 1. Opal Hanover (4), T. Schadel; 2. No Not Yet (3), A. Johnston; 3. Winning Leggs (5), E. Neal; 4. Broadway Sweety (1), B. Brown; 5. TSM Aphrodite T (2), R. Krenitsky, Jr. TIME: 2:08.2.
Richard and Betty Fink Memorial Division (Purse $3,548) – 1. All Set Lets Go (2), D. Wade; 2. Long Term Dream (3), W. Long; 3. Drinking Class (5), T. Schadel; 4. HS Miss Nutcracker (4), D. Brickell; 1. Lively Volo (1), Robert Rougeaux III. TIME: 2:08.4.
E. Jay Master Memorial Division ((Purse $3,548) – 1. Prayers Do Matter (4), W. Long; 2. Dark Money (2), R. Hammer; 3. Learning Lindy (3), L. Whittaker; 4. Slider Hanover (5), S. Schoeffel; 5. Keystone Violet (1), T. Schadel. TIME: 2:10.2.
PENNSYLVANIA SIRE STAKES TWO-YEAR-OLD COLT TROT
Moyer’s Auto Body Division (Purse $2,652) – 1. Gee Wizz George (2), R. Harvey; 2. Intense Standoff (1), R. Beinhauer; 3. Bet On Tom (3), A. Johnston; 4. Everclear Hanover (4), S. Schoeffel. TIME: 2:08.
The Ward Fink Memorial Division (Purse $2,652) – 1. All Champy (2), R. Hammer; 2. Larimar De Vie (4), A. Johnston; 3. Sortie Hanover (3), T. Schadel; 4. Hogues Gone Wild (1), R. Rougeaux III. TIME: 2:10.4.
Hallstrom Family Division (Purse $2,652) – 1. Classic Playter (3), W. Long; 2. Keep Truckin On (2), R. Hammer; 3. Photo Bomber (4), L. Schadel; 4. Veritas Hanover (1), T. Schadel. TIME: 2:08.
Butch Flanagan Memorial Division (Purse $2,702) – 1. Crazy Clyde (2), B. Brown; 2. Irish Valentine (4), A. Johnston; 3. Rockefeller Lindy (3), S. Schoeffel; 4. Jefferson County (1), W. Long; 5. Who Feels Lucky (5), D. Wade. TIME: 2:09.4.