CLEARFIELD — Pennsylvania Sire Stakes three-year-olds provided Clearfield County Fair harness racing fans with two hours of exciting action Wednesday afternoon at the Driving Park, with trotters Cobina and Black Dog and pacers Beautinaful and Keystone Rideau earning the cooler blankets.
Meanwhile, Steve Schoeffel all but clinched the Buster DiSalvo Memorial Trophy that goes to the winningest driver for the four-day meet by posting his eighth victory. Perennial contender Roger Hammer was the lone multi-winner, but he finishes with five because he departed for The Meadowlands in New Jersey for Thursday racing. Beautinaful gave J.C. Miller Jr. his fourth win.
Cobina, winless in 11 career money races, won the Dunlap-Swales Memorial Filly Trot trophy in easy fashion. Driver Don MacDougall Jr. kept KT Brat and Schoeffel parked out the first time down the backstretch and then began to pull away with in the second trip, finishing 20-1/4 lengths ahead of Triple T. Pleasure in a fast 2:04.2.
One day made a huge difference for Mary\’s Girl. After finishing last in a four-horse Quaker States race Wednesday, the bay filly bounced back to nip Red Oak\’s Karen by a half- length in 2:05.4 in the second Dunlap-Swales Memorial Trot. Hammer took Mary\’s Girl to the outside on the backstretch but Offutt kept Red Oak\’s Tavern ahead until the final 20 yards.
Trainer Brian Weaver replaced Ed McNeight Jr. in the sulky behind Black Dog and guided the brown gelding to a victory that had the fans on their feet for the Ward Fink Memorial Colt Trot\’s first race. Parked out for most of the second trip by Winning Prince, Black Dog overtook Schoeffel\’s chestnut colt in the final strides to win by a neck in 2:05.1. Black Dog has won six conscutive fair races in 39 days.
The second Ward Fink Memorial Colt Trot race went to San Remo Kosmos in 2:07.3 with Hammer in the sulky. The bay gelding\’s first 2006 win boosted his career total to eight in 29 starts.
Beautinaful set a new lifetime mark with the fastest trip of the day, winning the Crawford Williams Memorial Filly Pace\’s first race by 5-1/4 lengths in 2:00.4. The bay filly, driven by Miller, has consistently raced under two minutes at The Meadows but had not won in 26 career starts.
Au Dragon, driven by Schoeffel, pulled away in the last half mile to take the Crawford WIlliams Memorial Pace\’s by 11-1/2 lengths, stopping the clock at 2:01.4. The bay filly\’s second win of the year boosted her career total to four in 21 races.
Keystone Rideau wound up with the Jay Master Memorial Colt Pace trophy with a 2:01 trip for Todd Schadel in the final race of the day. The brown gelding has six wins this year after posting 15 in 18 starts in 2005.
The first Jay Master Memorial Colt Pace race was a dandy, a great drive by Joe Offut putting Dragon Smoke in the winner\’s circle. Parked in and third racing down the backstretch, Dragon Smoke was pulled back and then taken to the outside in fourth place heading into the final turn. Offutt guided the bay colt around Artful Sky and Triple T Magican before sending him flying down the stretch on the outside to overtake Schoeffel\’s Slayer of Dragons. Dragon Smoke was three-quarters of a length in front when he crossed the finish line in 2:04.2.
The fair program ends Thursday with 38 Pennsylvania Sire Stakes two-year-olds racing for $16,324 in eight dashes.
Wednesday\’s Pennsylvania Sire Stakes results, with post position in parenthesis, followed by driver\’s name:
Dunlap-Swales Memorial PSS 3-Year-Old Filly Trot
First Division
1. Cobina (3), D. MacDougall Jr.; 2. Triple T Pleasure (2), T. Schadel; 3. KT Brat (4), S. Schoeffel; 4. Danielle K (1), W. Lineweaver; 5. Armbro Driver (5), E. McNeight Jr. Time: 2:04.2.
Second Division
1. Mary\’s Girl (2), R. Hammer; 2. Red Oak\’s Karen (1), T. Offutt; 3. Mellow Lane (5), T. Schadel; 4. KT Cutie (4), E. McNeight Jr.; 5. Wontletyadown (3), D. Brickell (P). Time: 2:05.4.
Ward Fink Memorial PSS 3-Year-Old Colt Trot
First Division
1. Black Dog (2), B. Weaver; 2. Winning Prince (3), S. Schoeffel; 3. Odo Hanover (1), K. Good (P); 4. B S Charlie (4), D. Brickell (P). Time: 2:05.1.
Second Division
1. San Remo Kosmos (1), R. Hammer; 2. Pompano Springs (3), S. Schoeffel; 3. J.\’s Love Song (4), T. Offutt; 4. Peppermint Prince (2), E. McNeight Jr. Time: 2:07.3.
Crawford Williams Memorial PSS 3-Year-Old Filly Trot
First Division
1. Beautinaful (6), J.C. Miller Jr.; 2. Blest Hanover (1), S. Schoeffel; 3. Enemenemightygo (5), T. Schadel; 4. Lamp Shade (4), D. Brickell (P); 5. I\’maliar (3), W. Lineweaver; 6. It Aint Thunder (2), C. Flickinger. Time: 2:00.4.
Second Division
1. Au Dragon (4), S. Schoeffel; 2. Angel On Top (6), L. Wright; 3. Miss Chinno (2), R. Hammere; 4. Jessica\’s Hero (3), C. Flickinger; 5. Rosemont Aroma (5), R. Neal; 6. Crystal Candy (1), T. Schadel. Time: 2:01.4.
Jay Master Memorial PSS 3-Year-Old Pace
First Division
1. Dragon Smoke (2), J. Offutt; 2. Slayer of Dragons (1), S. Schoeffel; 3. Artful Sky (5), R. Hammer; 4. Triple T Magician (3), T. Schadel; 5. Smokin Jacket (4), E. McNeight Jr. Time: 2:04.2.
Second Division
1. Keystone Rideau (2), T. Schadel; 2. Blissful Luck (3), J.C. Miller Jr.; 3. Korsar Hanover (1), S. Schoeffel; 4. Dixie Dust (4), T. Offutt. Time: 2:01.