from the PA Fair Harness Horsemen’s Association

Clearfield, PA — There must be something about driving a trotter during the first week of August that brings out the best in Roger Hammer — and his horse.

Hammer’s most famous win during this timeframe, of course, came on Aug. 6, 2005, when he took a graduate of the Pennsylvania fairs named Vivid Photo and made history in winning harness racing’s most prestigious race, the Hambletonian.

On Tuesday (Aug. 2), Hammer and another sophomore trotter made history — on a somewhat smaller scale admittedly — when the Great George Two filly A Little Laid Back toured the half-mile oval at the Clearfield County Fair in 2:02.3, breaking the old 2010 track mark of 2:03.2 by PJ’s Photo for the division, and not far off the all-time Clearfield trot mark of 2:02 shared by Cottonwood Sam and Simeon.

Hammer used “a little laid back” driving style with Vivid Photo, rallying him from well off the pace, but here he went back to his usual front-stepping tactics, putting up splits of :30.2, 1:01 and 1:31.3 en route to the record clocking. The only thing that was affected by her two other rivals breaking stride was the winning margin, which was only 48-3/4 lengths.

A Little Laid Back has now set five track records in her year-plus of PA fair racing for owner/trainer/driver Hammer — three last year and two this year. She’s tied with stablemate 2-year-old trotting colt Toolbox Tuesday and the 2-year-old trotting filly Lovebeinglucky as the only horses to have set divisional track records on two occasions this season.

If memories of Vivid Photo are to be evoked, it is only fair to note that Hammer’s ownership partner on Vivid Photo, Todd Schadel, drove three horses from his barn to victory on the Tuesday card, while no other horseman made more than one visit to Victory Lane.

The sport’s glamour division, the 3-year-old pacers, will be featured on the final card of the four-day Clearfield stand, with post time Wednesday at high noon.