Wattsburg, PA — The sophomore Stay Hungry gelding Rose Run Zeke came within a fifth of a second of tying the all-age record at the Erie (Pa.) County Fair, crossing the wire in 2:00.2 during Pennsylvania Fair Sire Stakes “A” competition on Tuesday (Aug. 27). The record of 2:00.1 still resides with the 2-year-old male Venier Hanover and the 3-year-old male Midway Island.
The proceedings in the 3-year-old pacing colt section were swept by driver Eric Neal, who guided Rose Run Zeke for trainer-owner Mitchell York and won the other “A” section with the Betting Line gelding Always Bet On Me in 2:01 for trainer Randal Neil, with Eric the co-owner with Neal Racing Stable LLC. Eric also won the “B” section with RT Whistlin Willy, an altered son of A Rocknroll Dance trained by Tom Loughery Jr. for Brocious Racing Stable.
Among the sophomore trotters, sweeps of “A” action occurred for both sexes, as driver Brady Brown and trainer Steve Schoeffel won both colt events, with Cyclone Ben (fastest trotter of the meet at 2:04.1) and Bird And Grenade; while on the filly side, driver Wayne Long and trainer Joyce Lineweaver clicked with Unique Wedding and Trinity’s Advocate.
During Monday’s (Aug. 26) 2-year-old competition, one Wattsburg track record was reset: the trotting filly RT Paint It Black (Greenshoe-Fancy) won in 2:05.3, giving her a line in the record books by a tick over the old mark set in 2016 by Lovebeinglucky. RT Paint It Black’s accomplishment was burnished by the fact that her win came over Classy Cocktail, a seven-time “A” winner. The new record holder, also the meet’s fastest 2-year-old trotter, was driven by Eric Neal for trainer Tom Loughry Jr. and Lone Wolf Stable
Joining Classy Cocktail as a seven-time “A” freshman winner was the Bar Hopping-Moots trotting gelding Mr Hooper (driver Aaron Johnson), who now has won five times straight for trainer Bill Daugherty Jr. and owner Susan Daugherty.
The fastest pacing mile among the two-year-olds actually came in a “B” event, as the Papi Rob Hanover-Apple Hanover colt Stealing Apples won in 2:03.2 for 18-year-old driver Jesse Barnard, veteran trainer Tim Twaddle, and owner Brady Doyle.
The driving crown at the Wattsburg meet landed on the head of Eric Neal, who paraded back eight winners, two more than Aaron Johnston. Joyce Lineweaver and Tom Loughery Jr. each harnessed four winners to tie at the top of the conditioners’ column.
Stoneboro is next on the schedule, the last stop on the “western swing” of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes trail, with post time at 5 p.m. on Thursday (Aug. 29) and 12 noon on Friday (Aug. 30).