from the Pennsylvania Fair Harness Horsemen’s Association’s publicity office

Meadville, PA — Three-year-olds were featured during the final two days of the four-day meet at the Crawford County Fairgrounds in this northwest Pennsylvania town, with pacing colts Royaltyhasarrived and R N Nate keeping up their winning ways.

First up was the Nuclear Breeze gelding R N Nate, who ran his fair record to 8-7-1-0 with the fastest mile of the meet, 2:01.3, for owner/breeder/trainer/driver Roger Hammer.

In the very next event, Royaltyhasarrived, an altered son of Western Terror, upped his 2015 fair numbers to 9-8-1-0 by winning just a tick slower for driver Brady Brown, trainer Steve Schoeffel, and owners Virginia and Kathy Schoeffel and Michael Munn.

The luck of the draw has kept these two apart so far this summer; when they get in together, there won’t be a space up against the fence in the paddock and barn areas.

The only way to do better than having one loss on the fair circuit is having no losses on the fair circuit, and the Quik Pulse Mindale filly Betterthanrevenge is now seven-for-seven on the state twicearounds. She won here in 2:05 for trainer/driver Harold Brocklehurst and the Thomson Sisters Racing Stable.

In Wednesday’s trotting action, Wimborne Hanover and Simeon continued their winning ways. Wimborne Hanover, who won last year’s Fair Championship for this division, ran his fair record this year to eight wins in 10 starts when the Muscle Massive gelding reported home first in 2:07.1 for driver Brady Brown, trainer Bill Daugherty Jr., and owner Susan Daugherty.

But the defending champ knows he has a tough rival in the Andover Hall gelding Simeon, yet to taste defeat at the fairs after winning his fifth start in 2:06 for driver Aaron Johnston, subbing for trainer Dave Wade; Wade also co-owns the winner with Jerry Brittingham, William Peel III, and Delores Wade.

In case you missed our earlier report, the star performer of the meet was the Great George Two freshman trotting filly A Little Laid Back, who won in 2:04.1 for owner/trainer/driver Roger Hammer Monday. Not only did she obliterate the track record for 2-year-old trotting fillies — her time is faster than any 2-year-old trotter has ever gone at Meadville, and her clocking eclipsed not only the freshman trotting colts’ best effort but also both divisions of 3-year-old trotters, in addition to being quicker than the best mile of the freshman pacing fillies!

Hammer won nine races over the four days to raise his seasonal lead in the sulky to 59, 13 ahead of Chris Shaw; eight training triumphs moved him up to 56 for the circuit’s year, 21 ahead of Chris’s brother Jason.

In the early part of next week, there will be concurrent PA fair racing on Tuesday and Wednesday: at the Indiana County Fair in the hometown of actor Jimmy Stewart, and at the Erie County Fair in Wattsburg.