from the PA Fair Harness Horsemen’s Association

Bloomsburg, PA — “Considering that this track was three-four feet underwater about three weeks ago, the horsemen can’t say enough to praise John Brokenshire and his crew at Bloomsburg for the outstanding job that has been done here.”

That was said by PHHA president (and winner of the meet’s first race) Sam Beegle after the northeast Pennsylvania oval and attendant areas had been worked back into masterful shape by Brokenshire, only in his second year in charge of the racing at Bloomsburg, and his co-workers, producing three track records and five 2:00 miles during the two-day Pennsylvania Fair Sire Stakes meet at the fairgrounds on Monday (Sept. 3) and Tuesday (Sept. 4).

The Dave Brickell Stable, with Brickell as trainer/driver and co-owner with Mitchell York, produced the two outstanding performances of the meet.

Seth Dowling photo

Crew Sock Hanover toured the Bloomsburg oval in 1:58, the fastest time ever by her age, sex, and gait at any Pennsylvania fair.

The first came during the Monday 2-year-old racing, when the Well Said–Chantal Hall pacing miss Crew Sock Hanover toured the Bloomsburg oval in 1:58 — which is the fastest time ever produced by her age, sex, and gait at any Pennsylvania fair. The old mark of 1:58.2, co-held by Ellen Hanover (2004) and Bell On Wheels (2009), both at Bloomsburg, was bid a fond adieu by the winner, now undefeated in eight fair outings and victorious nine times overall.

And all this from the people who last year brought you Venier Hanover, who as a freshman set eight track records while the dominant force on the Keystone twicearounds. Another offspring of Well Said, the gelding started off slowly this year but recently has been ablaze, taking his sixth straight start, in 1:55.1, reducing Alastor Hanover’s 2006 local 3-year-old pacing colt standard of 1:56.4 dramatically.

The third track record notched at the Bloomsburg fairgrounds came from the Muscle Massive–Missing Dough 2-year-old trotting filly Touch Of Dough, who a race after Crew Sock Hanover reduced her mark by six full seconds to 2:01, a time also a fifth quicker than the 2006 local performance of Shesfastandfurious. Touch Of Dough has now won five of her last six starts for driver Eric Neal, trainer/father Randy Neal, and Beal Racing Stable.

Fastest trotting mile of the meet overall came from the Donato Hanover sophomore gelding Show Me The Magic, a four-time fair winner who completed the mile in 2:00.1 for driver Tony Schadel and his dad, trainer/owner Bruce Schadel.

The other 2:00 performers during the meet were the Western Terror–Tootsie J 2-year-old pacing colt Way To Close, home in 1:58.3, a new mark, for trainer/driver Todd Schadel, co-owner with wife Christine; the Somebeachsomewhere sophomore pacing filly Keystone Diamond, here overcoming the second tier to tally in 1:59.1 to become a winner of five straight in the fair “A” class, also trained and driven by Todd Schadel and owned by him in partnership with Dr. John Egloff; and the A Rocknroll Dance gelding Legendary Ron, who went in 1:59.3 in the “B” class of the 3-year-old colt pace for Todd’s brother Tony Schadel, whose wife Linda is trainer and co-owner.

Todd Schadel and Roger Hammer each drove four winners during the two-day stand to tie atop the sulky-sitters category; Schadel sent out five winners from his barn (Roger drove the other winner) to come out ahead in the conditioners’ derby.

The fair circuit will now go west for one final time, racing at the Crawford County Fair in Meadville next Tuesday (Sept. 11) and Wednesday (Sept. 12 in a two-day Sire Stakes meet, before ending its season over east during the fairs at Gratz on Sunday (Sept. 16) and Monday (Sept. 17) and then at Bloomsburg on Friday (Sept. 21) and Saturday (Sept. 22).