CLEARFIELD — A Little Laid Back, driven by owner-trainer Roger Hammer of Bedford, provided most of the excitement for Tuesday afternoon’s large Driving Park crowd by shattering the Clearfield County Fair track record for three-year-old trotting fillies.
The bay filly cut fractions of 30.2, 1:01 and 1:31.1 in the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes race en route to a 2:02.3 mile that chopped nearly a full second off the mark of 2:03.2 set by PJ’s Photo for catch driver Wilbur Yoder in 2010.
A Little Laid Back, fresh off last week’s 2:01.1 trip that broke the Bedford Fair record, did it all on her own as Underdog Hanover, driven by Brady Brown in the sulky, went off gait in the first turn and Shine On, with Todd Schadel in the sulky, broke going around the home turn.
Hammer allowed his sophomore trotter to set her own pace, and she went under the wire 48¾ lengths ahead of Shine On for her fourth win in 17 starts this year and the Chester C. Chidboy Memorial cooler blanket.
One of A Little Laid Back’s 12 wins in 16 starts last year came on the Driving Park oval.
She set her mark of 1:57.4 as the betting favorite at the Pocono Downs June 26.
Her earnings have soared to $79,963.
The third program of the four-day meet proved to be a rarity as four other winners went wire-to-wire and the other two were on the lead to stay shortly after leaving the starting gate.
Schadel gained a 6-4 advantage on Hammer in the Charles P. “Buster” DiSalvo Trophy derby for the fair’s driving honors with a trio of winners.
The Spring Glen reinsman guided Connie Jean, another Driving Park repeat winner, to a 2:06.2 score in the Dunlap-Swales Memorial Division of the PASS Filly Trot and St. Michael Hanover and OMG Hanover to triumphs of 2:06 and 2:03, respectively in the PASS Colt Trot.
Connie Jean’s all-the-way, three-length win was her first of the 2016 and number eight in 30 lifetime starts that have netted the George F. Hempt Estate Trust $42,468.
St. Michael Hanover passed Branagan going into the first turn of the Dawson & Chandler Ross Memorial Division and was 3¾ lengths in front when he stopped the clock at 2:06 for his first victory in 10 starts this year.
The bay gelding, trained and co-owned by Schadel with James Simpson of Hanover, went over $20,000 in purses with his fourth lifetime win in 23 trips to the gate.
Schadel climbed right back into OMG Hanover’s bike for the Buster’s Sports Bar Division and left four rivals behind on a 2:03 twice around and a 3½-length victory, his fourth as a sophomore and seventh overall.
Schadel trains and shares ownership with his wife, Christine.
Their bay gelding that broke the Bedford Fair record with a 2:00.2 performance last week and holds a lifetime mark of 1:57.2 set at the Meadows July 17. His earnings are $52,781 for 30 races.
In the opening dash, Poppet increased leading fair circuit driver Chris Shaw’s win total to 21 with a 2:05 mile to earn the Quaker State Trot’s Kevin A. Beardsley Funeral Home cooler blanket.
The bay filly, owned by trainer Wayne Long and Joyce Lineweaver of Camden, Del., has won three straight fair races to go with a 1:59.4 score as the betting favorite at Northfield (Ohio) Park June 29. Poppet’s winnings for 23 starts are $19,091.
Shawn Johnston, in the chase for fair circuit driving laurels behind Shaw, recorded his 18th win with Regal Woman in the PASS Filly Trot’s James Flanagan Memorial Division.
The bay filly, trained by Gary Johnston for Dr. William Solomon of New Freedom, stepped under the wire in 2:03.4 for his third win to boost his earnings to $26,392, the biggest purse resulting from a 1:58 effort at The Meadows.
Rail Kat, driven by Brown, breezed to a 6¼-length victory in 2:06.3 in the PASS Colt Trot’s Donald A. & Martha M. Urban Memorial Division.
Trained by William Daugherty Jr. for Susan Daugherty of Mercer, the bay gelding blocked Keystone Shotgun’s bid to become the afternoon’s third repeat winner with Hammer in the sulky.
Rail Kat already has matched last year’s four wins while increasing his earnings to $54,580.
Bringing down the curtain for the four-day meet Thursday will be the three-year-old pacers. They’ll race for 11 purses totaling $29,748, including $8,000 at stake for the five entries in the finale. Post time will be at noon.
Tuesday’s results, with horse’s name, number in parenthesis, and jockey’s name:
QUAKER STATE THREE-YEAR-OLD TROT
Kevin Beardsley Funeral Home Division (Purse $2,282) – 1. Poppet (4), C. Shaw; 2. Cantabby (1), W. Long; 3. Discoball Hanover (3), E. Neal; 4. Fischer’s Filly (2), C. Krieiser. TIME: 2:05.
PENNSYLVANIA SIRE STAKES THREE-YEAR-OLD FILLY TROT
Chester C. Chidboy Memorial Division (Purse $3,340) – 1. A Little Laid Back (1), R. Hammer; 2. Shine On (2), T. Schadel; 3. Underdog Hanover (3), B. Brown. TIME: Driving Park track record 2:02.3.
Dunlap-Swales Memorial Division (Purse $3,390) – 1. Connie Jean (1), T. Schadel; 2. Shelovessumore (4), E. Neal; 3. Catch The Bouquet (1), B. Brown; 4. Naut E Cavier (2), W. Lineweaver. TIME: 2:06.2.
James Flanagan Memorial Division (Purse $3,390) – 1. Regal Woman (2), S. Johnston; 2. Onceinasiouxmoon (3), C. Shaw; 3. Maybe Later (4), R. Hammer; 4. Broadway Rachel (1), T. Schadel. TIME: 2:03.4.
PENNSYLVANIA SIRE STAKES THREE-YEAR-OLD COLT TROT
Dawson & Chandler Ross Memorial Division (Purse $3,371) – 1. St. Michel Hanover (1), T. Schadel; 2. Branagan (3), B. Brown; 3. Up Front Fairway (2), W. Long; 4. Toledo (4), R. Harvey. TIME: 2:06.
Buster’s Sports Bar Division (Purse $3,421) – 1. OMG Hanover (4), T. Schadel; 2. Cantab My Photo (2); 3. Shady McCoy (1), D. Wade; 4. Heroics (3), S. Johnston; 5. BS Won More Chance (5), D. Brickell. TIME: 2:03.
Donald A. & Martha Urban Memorial Division (Purse $3,421) – 1. Rail Kat (3), B. Brown; 2. Keystone Shotgun (4), R. Hammer; 3. Claire And Kenny (5), R. Harvey; 4. Broadway Expresway (1), C. Shaw; 5. Mr Dover (2), H. Brocklehurst. TIME: 2:06.3.