from the PA Fair Harness Horsemen’s Association

Dayton, PA — One track record was broken on sophomore Fair Sire Stakes day Sunday (July 17) at the Dayton (PA) two-day Sires event, but the record book just missed quite an onslaught — three marks, including the all-age track record for both the trot and the pace, survived by a single fifth of a second, and two were missed by two ticks.

Seth Dowling photo

Waterview Hanover was a winner in a track record time of 2:01.

It didn’t take long past the 1 p.m. first post time before an alteration was needed in the Dayton records, as in the day’s first race Waterview Hanover put up fractions of :30.2, :59.4 and 1:30.2 en route to a 2:01 final time, lowering the 2:02.4 standard for 3-year-old trotting fillies set by Bessie in 2014, and also just missing Redder Than Red’s all-age track trotting mark of 2:00.4 set in 2012. The daughter of Explosive Matter, a winner in her Fair Championship event at The Meadows last year, was driven by Steve Schoeffel for trainer Bill Daugherty Jr. and owner Susan Daugherty.

The track trot mark, and the record for sophomore colts (since that was Redder The Red’s status in his 2012 record mile), came under joint assault later in the card, with another of Explosive Matter’s offspring, the gelding Major Matter, trotting in 2:01.1, missing both the division and all-age marks by two-fifths of a second. Trainer/driver Rick Beinhauer shares with his wife Regina the ownership of Major Matter, who had already equaled the 2:04 all-age trot standard at Wattsburg.

The all-age pacing mark and the Dayton record for 3-year-old colts also stood the test of time, but just barely, as the Art Official colt Dragon Strikes blasted home in :27.4 to freeze the stopwatch at 1:58, just a shade shy of J T Arturo’s 1:57.4 mark, set in the distant past of 2002. Brady Brown handled the Mike Gillock trainee as Dragon Strikes is now unbeaten in two fair starts for owner Robert Key, handling Star Of Terror by four lengths — and all Star Of Terror has done recently is equal the Butler all-age mark of 2:00.2, then last week pace the fastest mile of the PA fair season at Gratz, 1:57.1.

Shawn Johnston added another winner Sunday to his career-highlight quintuple on Saturday to be the meet’s leading driver, while Rick Beinhauer harnessed a pair of Victory Lane visitors each day to take the training title for the two-day stint.

Next stop of the PA Fair Circuit is at the Lycoming County oval in Hughesville, not far from Williamsport of Little League World Series fame, with action slated for Wednesday and Thursday of this week.