by Jeff Zidek, information specialist, Pennsylvania Harness Racing Commission

Dayton, PA — The Dayton Fairgrounds in Armstrong County hosted freshman in 15 stakes events on Wednesday (August 18) to kick off its two-day fair week meet.

Filly Bay, driven by Bill Fahy, started the day with a victory in a PA Sire Stake filly trot. The daughter of Chip Chip Hooray scored in 2:09 for owner/trainer Moira Fahy.

In the second filly trot, Girls’ Getaway was an open length winner, as the only filly in the six-horse field to stay flat. Chris Shaw guided the winner home in 2:09.2 for owner Bill Altmeyer and trainer Terry Altmeyer.

Jeff Zidek photo

Witch’s Magic Brew won for the ninth time in 2010, scoring in 2:10.2.

In the final split, Witch’s Magic Brew ran her record to 9-for-10 on the season with another easy win, cruising in 2:10.2 for catch-driver David Brickell. Ken Weaver owns and trains the CR Royal Magic filly.

Three PA Sire Stakes for 2-year-old filly pacers were next and wins were recorded by My Gal Hannah (Metropolitan), Caramel Chinno (Allamerican Native) and Uptown Dreamer (April Dreamer).

My Gal Hannah’s win was far from easy, as she cut the early fractions of :31.2 and 1:02.4 before yielding the lead to DVC Hopnattitude (Magical Mike), driven by Brickell, at the three-quarters in 1:33.2. My Gal Hannah, trained and driven by Roger Hammer, then came back on the outside in the stretch to get up for a half-length victory in 2:04.1. Hammer co-owns with Clair Corle.

Caramel Chinno, also out of the Hammer barn, scored in 2:04.2 in the second split, while Brickell got his revenge with Uptown Dreamer, winning the third in 2:06.2. Brickell also owns and trains Uptown Dreamer.

Three groups of colt trotters next faced the starter in PASS competition. Chips A Cumin went wire-to-wire in the first division for trainer/driver Steve Schoeffel. A gelded son of Chip Chip Hooray, Chips A Cumin trotted in 2:10.4 for owner Terry Schoeffel.

Cadence Hall, another son of Chip Chip Hooray, scored in the second group, trotting in 2:09.2 for trainer/driver Bill Daugherty. Susan Daugherty owns.

Roger Hammer picked up a winning catch drive in the third division, guiding S J Better Days to a 2:07.4 win. A son of SJ’s Caviar, S J Better Days is owned by the Dunn Stable and trained by Boots Dunn.

The final Sire Stake of the day was for freshman colt pacers, and as with the other stakes, it split into three divisions. Evening Shadows, who saw his perfect six-for-six record end with a second place finish at the Washington Fair earlier in the week, returned to winning form, pacing in 2:04.2 for driver Chris Shaw in the first division. Charles Von See owns and trains the Blissfull Hall gelding.

In the second division, Fast Heat won for the first time in his seventh career start. Fast Heat (The Panderosa) is trained and was driven by Joe Offutt for owner Anne McDonald. The winning time was 2:07.4.

In the final colt pace, Stripe’n Star won his sixth race of the season, giving Chris Shaw his third winning drive of the day. Stripe’n Star (No Pan Intended) is owned and trained by Jason Shaw. The gelding paced the mile in 2:04.2.

Quaker Stakes for PA-owned or PA-sired horses ended the day. In the lone division for trotters, My Brother Pete earned his first career win, scoring in 2:10 for Bryce Truitt, who co-owns with his wife, trainer Cindy Truitt. My Brother Pete is a son of Wonder Dancer.

In a Quaker filly pace, Unreal Appeal scored for the first time in her career, going wire-to-wire in 2:08.4 for trainer/driver Steve Schoeffel. The Real Desire filly is owned by Virginia and Kathy Schoeffel, Ryan Zidek and Dorothy Dowling.

The colt division of the Quaker pace was captured by DVC Havenly Cam, a winner in 2:07 for trainer/driver Timmy Offutt. Genevieve Louk owns the Million Dollar Cam gelding.

Sophomores are in action on Thursday at Dayton, with first post slated at 1 p.m. For video highlights from the PA Fair Circuit, visit www.pafairharness.com.