by Evan Pattak for The Meadows

MEADOW LANDS, PA, Aug. 18, 2005—On the night The Meadows honored them, 2005 Hambletonian winners Vivid Photo and Roger Hammer returned the favor, trotting to an under-wraps victory in a division of a $102,388 Pennsylvania Sires Stake on Thursday in preparation for a series of tougher tests.

The stake, known as the Hickory Smoke, was contested in three divisions, with SJ’s Cebulla and Amour Ami taking the other splits.

Hammer, who is based about 100 miles east of The Meadows in Bedford, was here in the early 1960s when the track opened, working with the stable of his father Clay. Roger Hammer has been an important presence here since then, although he’s also seen regularly on the Pennsylvania Fairs circuit and at such tracks as Rosecroft and Colonial Downs.

During a special session on Thursday, Hammer greeted and signed autographs for fans, while The Meadows distributed free Roger Hammer tee shirts. In addition, the track gave away several Hammer-autographed Hambletonian posters in a drawing.

Hammer said the fans he met were thrilled with his victory.

“It was a lovely night, but I didn’t think there would be so much stuff going on. I thought, you win the race, next week it’s all over with,” Hammer said. “The fans all congratulated me and said they were glad it was a Pennsylvania boy who won the Hambletonian.”

In the race, Hammer and Vivid Photo looped the field going to the quarter pole and led thereafter, although Hammer had to tap the Hambo champ when others closed in late.

“He gets lazy when he’s on top,” Hammer said. “I tapped him when he started to take himself up because he thought the race was all over. This week he’s not as sharp because we haven’t trained him (since the Hambletonian). We went one trip in 2:35 with him. He wasn’t as tight as he should be. He’ll be tight next week.”

Vivid Photo held on for a neck victory in 1:57.3 over a game Lonestar Kosmos, with Really Charming only ½-length back in third. The win pushed Vivid Photo’s career bankroll over $882,000.

Hammer, who co-owns Vivid Photo with Todd Schadel, said the gelded son of S J’s photo is being pointed to next week’s American National at Balmoral, the World Trotting Derby the following week at Duquoin and the Kentucky Futurity, the Breeders Crown and the Matron later in the year. He’ll need to supplement to some of those events.

On that schedule, Vivid Photo will miss the championship leg of the PA Sires Stake at Pocono Downs. That’s good news for horsemen like Per Henriksen, trainer/driver of Amour Ami, who was parked more than ½- mile before wearing down early leader Super Tank and trotting off to victory in 1:58.1. Henriksen said he wasn’t concerned about the taxing trip because Amour Ami “laid over the field.”

“I just figured if I put enough speed into the race, the others would get tired and we wouldn’t get any surprises,” Henriksen said. “This horse, he doesn’t know where the mile ends. He just keeps on going. He can sit out there and grind them to death.”

Owned by Ernst Gerbaulet, the son of Tagliabue has won seven of 12 starts this year after missing his freshman campaign. Blackmail came from well back to finish second, while Super Tank saved show.

In another year, SJ’s Cebulla might be toasted as the tops of Pennsylvania—he’s won four of his last five starts, all of them stakes. Perhaps racing in the shadow of Vivid Photo has soured his disposition. He delivered a pre-race kick to caretaker Ann Wade—she wasn’t injured—and launched a failed pedal attack on her husband, trainer/driver David Wade.

“I’ve seen his act before,” Wade said. “This is why he needed to be castrated. I didn’t want to because I knew there was a lot of horse here, and I knew if I got a good mark on him, he could go overseas. But he was just too difficult, too hard on himself. He’d get out in the field and slide into the fences, just an absolute clown.

“He’s just got to go the front end, unless a hole at the rail is traveling fast enough. He’s a lot happier on the lead and relaxes nicely. He’ll just glide along. Of course, he won’t beat any real great horses doing that.”

The son of S J’s Photo took out the balance of his anger on the field, going to the front and holding off the determined charge of favorite Green Dot to prevail by ¾- lengths in 1:56.3, his career best. B S Woody was five lengths back in third.

Wade said SJ’s Cebulla, who is owned by Sweet and Sassy Stable, is ticketed for sale in Harrisburg.