There was little drama during the first day of harness racing Sunday at the 163rd Clearfield County Fair as seven of the 10 races featured wire-to-wire winners and every one was decided by at least a length.
But five 2-year-old trotters did earn the maiden victory of their young careers and one driver — Tom Loughry Jr. from Rochester Mills — nabbed his first win sitting in the sulky.
Loughry Jr’s milestone first victory came on the day’s last race — the Fritz Beinhauer Memorial — and he was able to enjoy every step up the victory as both his competitors went off-stride at the start and he and RT Gracenglory cruised the two laps around the oval for a 20-length decision in a time of 2:12.3.
RT Gracenglory nabbed her first win in five starts as well.
Loughry Jr. was one of seven different drivers to taste victory on the card, which was the largest at the Clearfield County Fair in over a decade.
According to Clerk of Course Jeanne Urban, the last time there were 10 races in one day was in 2013. There were actually two days of 10 heats that year.
Steve Schoeffel led Sunday’s charge with three victories, while Todd Schadel picked up two winning drives. Loughry Jr. and four others each earned one win as the chase for the Buster DiSalvo Trophy began.
The DiSalvo Trophy is awarded to the driver who wins the most races over the four-day program.
Wayne Long got things started in the Earl Hallstrom Memorial in the first of four Pennsylvania Sire Stakes heats featuring 2-year-old trotting fillies in the A Group.
And Long’s victory was probably the most exciting as he drove Britta Pillar back from a large early deficit after breaking at the start.
Aaron Johnston and Lucky Station opened a 15-length lead on the back stretch of the first lap after multiple horses went off stride early.
The duo still had what looked like a comfortable 8-length lead at the 1/2-mile mark, but Long and Britta Pillar had other ideas.
They caught the leaders at the top of the home stretch and rallied past them for a 3-length victory in a time of 2:06.2. That was the second win in three starts for Britta Pillar, who also set a new lifetime mark.
The day’s second race, the Hallstrom Family trot, had one of the closest finishes, but it was also the first of many wire-to-wire wins.
Todd Schadel and Casablanca Hanover took the lead out of the gate and had to fend off a couple challenges from Eric Neal aboard RT Paint It Back before holding off the competitors for a 1 1/4-length win in a time of 2:12.00.
It was the second win in five starts for Casablanca Hanover.
The Walter Jackson Sr. Memorial followed and was the only race of the day that had multiple lead changes.
Shawn Johnston and H Moni Winner got out in front of the pack on the first turn before yielding the lead to Loughry Jr. and RT Poco’s Lady just before the 1/4-mile mark.
RT Poco’s Lady held the advantage until getting caught coming down the homestretch by Johnston and H Moni Winner, who picked up her maiden victory by 2 3/4 lengths in the day’s fastest time of 2:04.1.
The next five heats were all wire-to-wire wins.
Schoeffel earned his first win of the day, guiding Mean Streak to her second win in five 2024 starts with a 2-length victory over Tony Schadel and Just A Sheila, who raced in second the entire way. The winning time was 2:10.4.
The A.E. “Gus” Mellott Jr. Memorial, the day’s fifth race, was the first of four heats for 2-year-old trotting colts & geldings in the A Group.
Todd Schadel picked up the winning drive, sitting in the sulky behind Born Silly, who went coast-to-coast for a 3-length win in a time of 2:07.3. It was the third win in four starts for Born Silly, who set a new lifetime mark.
The following race, The Progress Trot, had two scratches so only two horses made the trip around the oval.
It was an easy 45-length victory for RT Rubicon and driver Eric Neal, who crossed the finish line in a time of 2:10.3. It was the maiden victory for RT Rubicon in his fifth start.
Tony Schadel became the sixth different driver to nab a victory as he took Lionheart Hanover coast-to-coast in the Charles “Chick” Young Memorial in a time of 2:10.1 for the bay gelding’s second win in two starts. The duo crossed the line 1 3/4-lengths in front of Wayne Long aboard Smooth Willy.
Schoeffel won the next two races to take the early lead in the hunt for the Disalvo.
He piloted Dreamnbouthemoni to his maiden victory in the Howard & Mary Neeper Memorial in a time of 2:08.1, holding off Shawn Johnston and Friendly Cantab by a length for the day’s closest finish.
Schoeffel then drove Greenmail Hanover to his third win in four starts in the Jess & Randy Neeper Memorial in a colts & geldings B Group race.
The duo trailed Eric Neal and RT Cruising In out of the gate but overtook the leaders before the 1/4-mile mark and never looked back, trotting to a 4 1/4-length win in a time of 2:08.2.
Sunday’s total purse was $37,675.
The second day of harness racing begins today at 1 p.m. There are nine races on tap with 34 entrants scheduled.
Clearfield County Fair
Harness Racing — Day 1
Pennsylvania Sire Stakes
2-year-old Fillies
Earl Hallstrom Memorial
1. Britta Pillar (Wayne Long), 2:06.2. 2. Lucky Station (Aaron Johnston). 3. Whoopee Hanover (Steve Schoeffel). 4. Raisin Cash (Todd Schadel).
Hallstrom Family
1. Casablanca Hanover (Todd Schadel), 2:12.0. 2. RT Paint It Black (Eric Neal). 3. Spiffey Seniorita (Zan Kaiser). 4. Keystone Swish (Tony Schadel).
Walter Jackson Sr. Memorial
1. H Moni Winner (Shawn Johnston), 2:04.1. 2. RT Poco’s Lady (Tom Loughry Jr.). 3. Classy Cocktail (Todd Schadel). 4. Miss Sterling (Aaron Johnston).
Cecilia “Ceci” Lizotte Memorial
1. Mean Streak (Schoeffel), 2:10.4. 2. Just A Shelia (Tony Schadel). 3. Phanto Treasure (Long). 4. (DNF) French Open (A. Johnston).
2-year-old Colts & Geldings A Group
A.E. “Gus” Mellott Jr. Memorial
1. Born Silly (Todd Schadel), 2:07.3. 2. Makin Moni Moves (Long). 3. Darkstar Zette (Jim Daugherty). 4. Moni I’m DHU (A. Johnston).
The Progress
1. RT Rubicon (Neal), 2:10.3. 2. Baby Tao (Tony Schadel).
Charles “Chick” Young Memorial
1. Lionheart Hanover (Tony Schadel), 2:10.1. 2. RT Watch Me (Neal). 3. Smooth Willy (Long). 4. Indigo Nights (A. Johnston).
Howard & Mary Neeper Memorial
1. Dreamnboutthemoni (Schoeffel), 2:08.4. 2. Friendly Cantab (S. Johnston). 3. Pelham Parkway (A. Johnston). 4. Father Shine (Robert Daugherty).
2-year-old Colts & Geldings B Group
Jess & Randy Neeper Memorial
1. Greenmail Hanover (Schoeffel), 2:08.2. 2. RT Justbecause (Loughry Jr.). 3. RT Cruising In (Neal). 4. Dazzling Moni (Long).
Fritz Beinhauer Memorial
1. RT Gracenglory (Loughry Jr.,), 2:12.3. 2. RT Gratitude (Neal). 3. Pure Imagination (Long).
Original Source Credited to theprogressnews.com
Cover Photo Credit to Rich Murawski
