Hughesville, PA — There was little luck with the 2-year-old Pennsylvania Fair Sire Stakes racing on Wednesday at the Lycoming County Fair, in Hughesville, Pa., but the 3-year-olds put on a great show Thursday, headed by the all-age track record pacing mile of 1:56.1 turned in by the filly Blank Cheek in an “A” division of a Pennsylvania Fair Sire Stakes event.

Blank Cheek is a daughter of Sweet Lou who won for only the third time in her career, but her powerful mile eclipsed not only her division’s previous Hughesville mark of 1:58.4 set by Marvalous Song in 2018 but also the 1:56.3 overall record set by 3-year-old male Aladdin Hanover last year. Todd Schadel drove and trains the new record holder, whom he co-owns with his wife, Christine.

In the other “A” divisional event, Sam Beegle, president of the Pennsylvania Harness Horsemen’s Association and Chairman of USTA District 7 (Pennsylvania), scored his 997th career driving win, doing so behind the Stay Hungry filly Ginger Tree Lena.

Besides Blank Cheek’s historic effort, three more 2:00 miles were recorded Thursday: a 1:57.3 victory by the Betting Line gelding Rusty Beach in the only division of the “A” colt pace, for driver Eric Neal and trainer Richard Dunn, who co-owns with MBC Stables LLC; and, surprisingly, two magic miles in the “B” Sire Stakes ranks: a 1:59.4 jaunt from the Captaintreacherous gelding Louie Hanover and a 1:59.3 triumph from Little Lady J, a daughter of A Rocknroll Dance.

The team behind Louie Hanover — driver Shawn Johnston and trainer Steve Schoeffel — dominated the 3-year-old trotting ranks, sweeping the colt divisions with Big Baller Beane, a Father Patrick gelding owned by Virginia and Kathy Schoeffel with James Reuther and Roger Romesser, in 2:01.4; and with Ocean Bar, a Bar Hopping gelding who posted his third fair win, here in 2:02, with the Schoeffel women co-owning this one with Marian Schilling and Daniel Goehle.

Johnston and Schoeffel also had a “B” winner among the males with the Southwind Frank gelding Motorwerks. Johnston drove a winner of the “A” filly trot, the International Moni filly Smooth As Silk, now a three-time fair winner; the faster event for that class went to the Bar Hopping miss Keystone Sweetpea (trainer-driver Todd Schadel), whose 2:01.4 matched the best time of the colts.

Wednesday saw only four races for the rookies get conducted before the skies opened up and washed out the rest of the card. The If I Can Dream gelding Dry Ridge Erie became the first three-time winner at the 2023 fairs in triumphing for driver Shawn Johnston, trainer Gary Johnston, and owner Randy Ringer.

Shawn Johnston won seven times at Hughesville to be the leading driver; Todd Schadel and Steve Schoeffel both sent out four winners to top the trainers.

Pennsylvania fair racing next goes to Bedford, Pa., with two sessions scheduled for next week, all cards starting at 3 p.m.: their two-day Sire Stakes Event on Sunday and Monday (July 16-17), and then their fair meet on Thursday and Friday (July 20-21).