CLEARFIELD — Three-year-old trotters All Set Lets Go and Bet On Tom stole the Clearfield County Fair harness racing spotlight with record-breaking trips around the Driving Park oval during the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes card Tuesday afternoon.
All Set Lets Go, reined by Roger Hammer because scheduled driver Chris Shaw had traveled out of state, lowered the 3YO filly standard to 2:02, eclipsing the 2:02.3 set by A Little Laid Back with Hammer in the sulky last year.
Fourth out of the gate of the Brooke Erin Yeager Memorial Division of the PSS “A” Filly Trot, Hammer had the bay standout owned by McMullen Stables LLC of Armagh third rounding the upper turn before sending her to the front down the backstretch.
Prayers Do Matter, a maiden winner for driver-trainer Wayne Long at Clearfield last year, appeared ready to challenge at the three-quarter pole but broke rounding the final turn, and All Set Lets Go breezed to a 15½-length victory, her sixth consecutive win on the fair circuit after showing only a pair of third places in her first 10 races.
All Set Lets Go recorded her maiden win with a 2:08.4 score at Clearfield last year en route to placing in all 16 starts, finishing with a win in the Pennsylvania Fair Sire Stakes Championship race at The Meadows Oct. 8.
Her lifetime earnings soared over $80,000 with her 15th win in 32 races.
Bet On Tom’s second visit to the Driving Park was much more rewarding as driver Aaron Johnston took him wire-to-wire for a 7¼-length in the Margaret Haney Memorial Division of the PSS “A” Colt Trot. Photo Bomber, which won the Pennsylvania Fair Sire Stakes Championship for 2YO trotting colts last year, was second for driver Tony Schadel.
Since aged trotters and pacers no longer race at the Clearfield County Fair, Bet On Tom’s 2:01.2 clocking in the last dash of the program wiped out the oldest record on the books for 3YO colts and geldings. That was a 2:02 mile by Cottonwood Sam for driver Steve Schoeffel in 2003.
Trained by Gary Johnston for owner Dr. William Solomon of New Freedom, Bet On Tom has come on to win four of his last six starts and is 5-for-13 in his sophomore campaign.
A one-time winner last year, he has $28,474 in purses for 27 lifetime starts.
The lone maiden winner was Winning Leggs, driven by Eric Neal for the Neal Racing Stable LLC and William Rugh III of nearby Punxsutawney in the Dave and Lynn Franson Memorial Division of the PSS “B” Filly Trot.
Neal had the brown filly on the front end both trips around the half-mile oval, but he had to hold off Tony Schadel and Hall About It by a quarter length for the victory in 2:06.4.
Long Term Dream, with trainer-owner Long on the bike, was one length back in the most thrilling finish for the large Children’s Day crowd.
Winning Leggs, never better than third in eight previous trips to the gate, has made $2,490.
The opening dash featured 2016 Clearfield County Fair winners Opal Hanover and Brauti Hanover as well as last year’s fair circuit points leader for 2YO trotting fillies, No Not Yet, in a PSS “B” Filly Trot’s Chester C. Chidboy Memorial Division.
That trio led the six-horse field past the grandstand the first time with Opal Hanover, driven by Todd Schadel, on her way to a all-the-way win in a new lifetime mark of 2:05.
No Not Yet, driven by Cory Kreiser, was 3¾ lengths back as they matched their one-two finish in last year’s PSS 2YO Foster Kerr Memorial Division race. They were separated by just 1¼ lengths in that duel.
Schadel also trains the bay filly he co-owns with Christine Schadel of Spring Glen. They’ve watched Opal Hanover win five times in 27 starts and earn almost $24,000.
Hammer will go into the final day with a 5-3 lead over Shaw for the Charles “Buster” DiSalvo Trophy as Toolbox Tuesday set him up to become a doublewinner by scoring in 2:04 in the Dawson and Chandler Ross Memorial Division of the PSS “B” Colt Trot.
Second early on, Hammer took Toolbox Tuesday wide around Jefferson County in the backstretch and went on to beat the Long-driven bay gelding by 2½ lengths in 2:04.
Hammer guided the bay gelding he trains and co-owns with Vicky Lynn Fair of Bedford to the fair circuit points title for 2YO trotting colts last year and has been in the sulky for all four of his wins in 18 starts this season.
Toolbox Tuesday sports 10 lifetime wins and purses totaling $36,888.
Drinking Class, second to All Set Lets Go the last three fairs, made Todd Schadel a doublewinner with a 2:05.1 trip in the Michael “Mikey” Rowles Memorial Division of the PSS “A” Filly Trot.
Schoeffel had Sliding Hanover in front after the upper turn, and Schadel kept Drinking Class second until pulling her outside at the top of the stretch to post a come-from-behind victory. The bay filly didn’t make the pass until deep stretch and won by three-fourths of a length.
Drinking Class, trained and co-owned by Schadel with Christine Schadel, sports six wins and $37,128 in purses for 30 lifetime starts.
Schoeffel did get into the win column with Chip Hanover, who led most of the way for a 2:04 score in the Charles “Chick” Young Memorial Division of the PSS “B” Colt Trot.
He trains the bay gelding for owners Lander Stables LLC, W. Hoover of Bedford, D. Goehle of Lancaster and Kathy Schoeffel of Evans City and has been in the bike for most of his 18 starts that have netted two wins and $11,186.
Tony Schadel became the 12th driver to enjoy a win this week, going three wide in the stretch with Carrick to pass leader Everclear Hanover, with Schoeffel in the sulky, and Lima Moonshine, driven by Aaron Johnston, for a 2¾-length victory in 2:03.3 in the Jeffrey “Niter” Hamilton Division of the PSS “A“ Colt Trot.
Carrick, trained by Linda Schadel for owners Scott Woogen of Mechanicsville, Va., and Pamela Wagner of Fairfax, Va., had two wins but 12 second-place finishes in 26 previous races.
The bay gelding’s winnings stand at $22,198.
The meet concludes Wednesday with $31,900 on the line in eight races for 37 three-year-old pacers. Post time will be at noon.
Tuesday’s results, with horse’s name, number in parenthesis, and jockey’s name:
PENNSYLVANIA SIRE STAKES THREE-YEAR-OLD “B” FILLY TROT
Chester C. Chidboy Memorial Division ($2,800) – 1. Opal Hanover (1), Todd Schadel; 2. No Not Yet (5), C. Kreiser; 3. Hs Miss Nutcracker (4), D. Brickell; 4. Broadway Sweaty (2), A. Johnston; 5. Famous Mistress (3), B. Brown; 6. Brauti Hanover (6), S. Schoeffel. TIME: 2:05.
Dave & Lynn Franson Memorial Division ($2,750) – 1. Winning Leggs (3), E. Neal; 2. Hall About It (1), Tony Schadel; 3. Long Term Dream (5), W. Long; 4. Sosiouxme (4), B. Brown; 5. Dark Money (2), R. Hammer. TIME: 2:06.4.
PENNSYLVANIA SIRE STAKES THREE-YEAR-OLD “B” COLT TROT
Dawson & Chandler Ross Memorial Division ($2,750) – 1. Toolbox Tuesday (1), R. Hammer; 2. Jefferson County (2), W. Long; 3. Larimar De Vie (5), A. Johnston; 4. Irish Valentine (4), C. Kreiser; 5. Hercules Dinger (3), J. Dodson. TIME: 2:04.
Charles “Chick” Young Memorial Division ($2,750) – 1. Chip Hanover (3), S. Schoeffel; 2. I Am The Danger (4), Tony Schadel; 3. Classic Playter (5), W. Long; 4. All Champy (2), R. Hammer; 5. Wingnut Dinger (1), J. Dodson. TIME: 2:04.
PENNSYLVANIA SIRE STAKES THREE-YEAR-OLD “A” FILLY TROT
Brooke Erin Yeager Memorial Division ($5,300) – 1. All Set Lets Go (4), R. Hammer; 2. Keystone Violet (1), Todd Schadel; 3. Prayers Do Matter (2), W. Long; 4. Elegant Note (3), E. Neal. TIME: 2:02 (Track record for 3YO filly trotters).
Michael “Mikey” Rowles Memorial Division ($5,300) – 1. Drinking Class (3), Tony Schadel; 2. Slider Hanover (4), S. Schoeffel;3. Nice Stuff (2), W. Long; 4. Igotsomethingtosay (1), B. Brown. TIME: 2:05.1.
PENNSYLVANIA SIRE STAKES THREE-YEAR-OLD “A” COLT TROT
Jeffrey “Niter” Hamilton Memorial Division ($5,300) – 1. Carrick (2), Tony Schadel; 2. Lima Moonshine (3), A. Johnston; 3. Vegas Chuck (1), B. Brown 4. Everclear Hanover (4), S. Schoeffel. TIME: 2:03.3.
Margaret Haney Memorial Division ($5,300) – 1. Bet On Tom (4), A. Johnston; 2. Photo Bomber (3), Tony Schadel; 3. Rockefeller Lindy (2), S. Schoeffel; 4. Crazy Clyde (1), C. Kreiser. TIME: 2:01.2 (Track Record for 3YO colt trotters).