CLEARFIELD — Cruiserwillwin challenged the Driving Park record for two-year-old filly pacers, Camera Lady remained undefeated on the fair circuit and Air Quotes Hanover and Marvalous Artist were back-to-back photo finish winners in Clearfield County Fair harness racing action Monday afternoon.
Roger Hammer and Todd Schadel each drove a pair of winners and now sport three apiece to share the lead the Charles P. DiSalvo Trophy at the midway mark of the four-day meet.
Both were in the picture of The Progress finish for the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Colt Pace as Schadel’s Cruiserwillwin fired past Hammer’s Artists Ruffles in mid-stretch to win by 1¼ lengths in 2:01.2.
The program’s fastest time was just two ticks off the track standard established by Love of Art in 2002 and matched by DVC Done Good in 2006, DVC Firm Believer in 2008 and Luscious Al in 2009, the latter two driven by Hammer.
Cruiserwillwin was last out of the gate, fourth at the half and third at the three-quarters pole as Hammer set the pace with his bay gelding that burned up the Bedford Fair track last Tuesday for a record 1:57 mile that ranks as the fastest on the fair circuit so far.
Schadel had Cruiserwillwin second and closing fast coming out of the final turn, and the bay gelding he also trains went on to end a string of three consecutive seconds with his second win in seven starts.
Cruiserwillwin has returned $8,818 for Schadel and his wife, Christine.
Camera Lady punctuated the nine-race card by continuing her dominance in the Bob Schucker Memorial Division of the PASS Filly Pace.
Driven by trainer Dave Brickell of Smicksburg, the bay filly paced the two trips around the Driving Park oval in 2:04.4 for her seventh win – by a 3½-length margin – in eight starts.
Two of her victories were at The Meadows, including a 1:58.1 dash as the betting favorite.
Camera Lady has earned purses of $13,703 for Brickell and co-owner Mitchell York of Seneca.
The trailer for the entire first half of the Quaker State Pace’s Robert Luce Memorial Division , Air Quotes Hanover then was guided into the pocket by driver-trainer-owner Aaron Johnston of Evans City down the backside but couldn’t catch Players Croquette until late stretch.
The brown colt nosed out the James Dodson-driven brown filly for a 2:06.4 score. His second win in five races padded his earnings to $5,227.
The next race was the PASS Colt Pace’s W.G. Satterlee & Sons Division, and Marvalous Artist went wire-to-wire for Hammer but had to hold off a rush by Keystone Steam, with Chris Shaw in the sulky, winning by a nose in 2:08.
The bay gelding’s fourth win in a row on the fair circuit boosted his earnings to $11,197 for Hammer, also the trainer, and co-owner Vicky Fair of Scenery Hill.
Other gate-to-wire winners were Varys Hanover in the Quaker State’s Auto Mart of Clearfield Division and Gemalous in the PASS Colt Pace’s “Gus” Mellott Jr. Memorial Division.
Varys Hanover opened the program with a two-length victory in 2:10 for driver Cory Keiser in just her second trip to the gate.
Trainer Robert Krenitsky Jr. and his wife Julie own the bay filly.
Team Shaw’s Gemalous was comfortably in front most of the way to his third win in seven starts, scoring by three lengths in 2:11.3.
Chris Shaw, the leading driver on the fair circuit with 20 wins, handled the reins for trainer Jason Shaw. Mason Shaw, Jason’s four-year-old son, is the owner of the bay filly that has earned $7,169.
Hammer’s second win came in the PASS Filly Pace’s Charles “Chick” Young Memorial Division.
Roses Inthebreeze surrendered the lead to TSM Artemis T, driven by Louisiana native Ladarrius Whittaker, after the first turn but prevailed in the stretch duel by three lengths in 2:06.4.
Hammer also owns and trains the bay filly that has two wins and $4,676 in purses.
Schadel answered in the next race with Liberty Party, coming off four consecutive seconds, claiming the Crawford Memorial Division cooler for a 2:05.2 twicearound maiden win.
Liberty Party was second until Schadel sent his bay filly past Steve Schoeffel-driven Big City Brown at the three-quarters pole. She was 7¼ lengths in front at the wire to up her winnings to $5,511.
Schadel trains and co-owns Liberty Party with his wife.
JP’s A Cruisen, driven by Brady Brown for trainer Schoeffel and owns with Virginia, Brooke and Kathy Schoeffel of Evans City, was the third maiden winner.
Brown pulled the bay gelding outside of Hammer’s Beach Barker rounding the final turn for the lead and was 2¾ lengths in front at the finish of a 2:04.3 mile.
JP’s A Cruisen had only one second in four previous starts.
Three-year-old trotters will take to the track Tuesday, racing for $22,615 in seven dashes. Post time will be at noon.
Monday’s results, with horse’s name, number in parenthesis, and jockey’s name:
QUAKER STATE TWO-YEAR-OLD PACE
Auto Mart of Clearfield Division (Purse $1,325) – 1. Varys Hanover (2), C. Kreiser; 2. Desired Lady (1), J. Dodson; 3. Out of Shu (4), L. Smeal II. TIME: 2:10.1. Scratched – Carding Giggles (3).
Robert Luce Memorial Division (Purse $1,325) – 1. Air Quotes Hanover (1), A. Johnston; 2. Cholo Hanover (4), C. Kreiser; 3. Players Croquette (2), J. Dodson; 4. Dreams Are True (3), L. Smeal II. TIME: 2:06.4.
PENNSYLVANIA SIRE STAKES TWO-YEAR-OLD COLT PACE
W.G. Satterlee & Sons Division (Purse $3,458) – 1. Marvalous Artist (3) R. Hammer; 2. Keystone Steam (4), C. Shaw; 3. So Icey Hanover (2), S. Johnston; 4. Ounce Hanover (1), B. Brown. TIME: 2:08.
Richie Salvatore Memorial Division (Purse $3,458) – 1. JP’s A Cruisen (4), B. Brown; 2. Beach Barker (3), R. Hammer; 3. Shampy Said (2), C. Shaw; 4. TSM Roger Houstont (1), C. Kreiser. TIME: 2:04.3.
The Progress Division ((Purse $3,508) – 1. Cruiserwillwin (5), T. Schadel; 2. Artists Ruffles (2), R. Hammer; 3. Bettor B Cruising (4), S. Schoeffel; 4. Teen Cruiser (1), B. Brown; 5. Jack N Lou (3), C. Kreiser. TIME: 2:01.2.
PENNSYLVANIA SIRE STAKES TWO-YEAR-OLD FILLY PACE
A.E. “Gus” Mellott Jr. Memorial Division (Purse $2,648) – 1. Gemalous (4), C. Shaw; 2. Princess Finola (2), W. Lineweaver; 3. Amazonia (3), C. Kreiser; 4. Aliveah Snow angel (1), R. Hammer. TIME: 2:11.3.
Charles “Chick” Young Memorial Division (Purse $2,698) – 1. Roses Inthebreeze (1), R. Hammer; 2. TSM Artemis T (5), L. Whittaker; 3. Keystone Nikki (3), C. Shaw; 4. Medoland Darby (2), E. Neal; 5. Hard Start Cruiser (4), C. Kreiser. TIME: 2:06.4.
Crawford Williams Memorial Division (Purse $2,698) – 1. Liberty Party (3), T. Schadel; 2. Cajun Moonlite (4), D. Brickell; 3. Big City Brown (1), S. Schoeffel; 4. Canadian Lauxmont (2), L. Whittaker. TIME: 2:05.2. Scratched – TSM Cassandra T (5).
Bob Schucker Memorial Division (Purse $2,702) – 1. Camera Lady (3), D. Brickell; 2. Lees Cruisetta (5), B. Brown; 3. Keystone Zeta (2), T. Schadel; 4. U Bettor Git (1), S. Johnston. TIME: 2:04.4. Scratched – So Vilda (4).