Washington, PA — A total of $200,000 will be on the line at Hollywood Gaming at The Meadows on Friday (Oct. 11) as the Pennsylvania Fair Sire Stakes Championships will be contested on a card starting at 5:10 p.m. Each of eight divisions of stakes horses, earning their way into the Championships based on high finishes turned in through the summer on the fair circuit, will race for a purse of $25,000. Those races will be drawn Tuesday (Oct. 8).
Here is a highlight of some of the star performances turned in by the young trotters and pacers this summer, as they may be indicative of the horses to watch out for on Friday.
(Points were distributed on a 35-25-15-10-8-5-4-2 basis via order of finish [“A” division races only]. A race that was rained out brought a horse nine points; the 2-year-olds got all 19 of their scheduled races in, whereas the 3-year-old “A” stakes performers were rained out twice.)
MOST POINTS EARNED AT FAIRS
Overall – 2TC Lionheart Hanover and 2TF Classy Cocktail, 430 points. (Both rookie trotters, both from the Tony Schadel barn, recorded identical 14-10-2-2 records.)
Trotters – Lionheart Hanover and Classy Cocktail.
Pacers – 2PC Wheelhouse Hanover, 380 points.
3-Year-Olds – PF Showboat Hanover, 363 points.
Divisional tie – 2PFs Its Written and Sweet Rock Hanover finished with 330 points.
TRACK RECORDS
All-age track records – 5: 3TF Loveyoubunches, the only racer with two (Butler and Honesdale); 3PC Ante Up Hanover (Clearfield); 3PC Dry Ridge Erie (Butler); 3TC International Moni (Butler).
Divisional track records – 24. Trotting fillies accounted for an incredible 15 of the 24 divisional marks: seven in the sophomore ranks with Loveyoubunches setting five herself (most of any fair horse), and eight among the freshmen, with Classy Cocktail and H Moni Winner with two among the six fillies setting a mark.
All-time PA Fairs standard for division: 3TF Loveyoubunches, 1:58.1 at Bedford.
2:00 MILES
Overall 2:00 miles: 39. Five were by trotters. Ten were by 2-year-olds. As could be expected, 22 came for 3-year-old pacers: 12 by males and 10 by females.
Give or more 2:00 miles: 3PC Ante Up Hanover 6; 3PF Showboat Hanover 5.
FAIR VICTORIES (“A” division)
10-time winners: 2TC Lionheart Hanover, 2TF Classy Cocktail.
Nine-time winners: 2PC Wheelhouse Hanover, 3TF Loveyoubunches. (And a tip of the cap to 3PC RT Whistlin Willie, who won nine times in the “B” ranks, and still qualified for his Championship.)
Eight-time winners: 3PC Ante Up Hanover, 2PF Don’t Touch My T, 2PF Its Written, 2TC Mr Hopper.
DEFENDING CHAMPIONSHIP WINNERS QUALIFYING FOR FINALS
PC Ante Up Hanover, TF Little Town Road, PF Showboat Hanover.
Ante Up Hanover was leading point winner in his group at 2 but not at 3; the two fillies led in points this year, but not last. So PF Bettor Strait N Up will remain the only fair horse to lead in points and win a Championship at both 2 and 3.