by Jerry Connors, the Pennsylvania Harness Racing Commission

York, PA — Alastor Hanover obliterated the all-age track standard at the York (Pa.) Fairgrounds on Sunday night, September 7, winning a heat of the free-for-all pace in 1:55.3, knocking 2-3/5 seconds off the time of the previous recordholders Keystone Mandel and Keystone Seymour.

The 5-year-old son of Rustler Hanover, owned by trainer/driver Roger Hammer along with Vicki Fair, rattled off splits of :29.1, :57.1, and 1:26.3 en route to the new York standard, 27-1/2 lengths ahead of Bad Storm.

Alastor Hanover was already the fastest horse ever on the PA county fair circuit by virtue of his 1:54 win at Bloomsburg last year; this time he adds the York record to his collection. (By the way, no extra points for guessing that the previous recordholders, the Keystones Mandel and Seymour, were also handled by Hammer.)

Hammer, “the King of the Pennsylvania County Fairs” whose Vivid Photo got back on the winning track last week at Chester, had five driving wins in all on the 13-race card; Dave Brickell added three, and Joe Offutt two.

In another performance worth mentioning, the freshman Sierra Kosmos-Keystone Delicacy gelding Columbia County recorded his sixth straight victory in a Sire Stakes trot, with Bryce Truitt handling sulky duty for trainer John McMullen, Jr., who also co-owns with Michelle McMullen.