By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
HUGHESVILLE PA – The Pennsylvania harness racing fair circuit returned to the Lycoming County fairgrounds on Wednesday and Thursday – after a “2-day meet” was held earlier, the “fair meet” (without a fair) took place. The horses and horsemen did well despite racing over a less-than-optimal surface, with a 4-second variant given both days.
 
Nothing seems to bother the Father Patrick – Princess Pearl freshman trotting colt Capo Dei Capi, who became the only fair horse to win four times by keeping his career record, all at the fairs, clean. The timer even failed during his “A” Sire Stakes event, but the talented youngster just kept on going for driver Tony and trainer/wife Linda Schadel, who as owners has seen their baby win $11,998 already.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – TW Lauxmont, taking a big step up in class upon coming to Harrah’s Philadelphia from Pocono, nonetheless made it two straight in winning the $13,600 featured trot on Thursday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia.
 
Trainer/driver Tom Jackson put the victorious altered son of Oh So White in play early, securing a pocket tuck behind favored Grapple Hanover, who overcame the outside post eight to put up fractions of :27.2, :56.3, and 1:24.4. At the last-named station the pacesetter was joined by first-over Macmorris Hanover, who battled hard and went to the lead in the stretch, only to see Jackson rally up the inside with TW Lauxmont to take a neck victory over him in 1:54.3, just a tick behind the mark he set at Pocono for owner LCT Stable.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
​CHESTER PA – Alexa’s Power parlayed a pocket trip into a new career mark of 1:50 while winning the $14,400 distaff pacing feature Wednesday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia.
 
The impeccably-bred five-year-old mare (Somebeachsomewhere out of Michelle’s Power, a millionaire and a full sister to Jug winner Michael’s Power) was hustled away from the rail by driver Tim Tetrick, forcing her main rival, Eclipse Me N, to have to go :26.1 before getting the lead. Alexa’s Power waited patiently behind midfractions of :55 and 1:22.1, then slid out at the top of the stretch and paced home strongly to win by ¾ of a length over Bye Bye Felicia, who had sat third-in and rallied up the inside, with Eclipse Me N settling for the show dough.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
​WILKES-BARRE PA – Boots N Chains overcame a first-over trip to win the $12,800 feature for high-priced claiming trotters Tuesday afternoon at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, a race where the top seven finishers were within two lengths of each other at the wire.
 
The Yankee Glide gelding Boots N Chains plugged along relentlessly out in the air, proving to have enough to defeat closer CR Blazin Beauty by a half-length in 1:55.2, with favored pacesetter Striking Encore just another neck behind. Daniel Dube drove the career winner of $365,976 for trainer Brandon Todd and owner Belrose Standard LLC.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Amigo Volo and EL Ideal, a pair of winners of over $500,000 last year who had not yet regained their stellar form of the previous season, showed they are now headed in the right direction by easily winning their respective $95,367 divisions of the first preliminary of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes for three-year-old trotting males during the Sunday twilight card at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.
 
Amigo Volo was not hustled early by Dexter Dunn, coming in from his 1:49.3 monster mile at Plainridge with Manchego, working him to the top past the :27.4 quarter and getting him to the half in :56.3. The gelding turned it up another notch to get to the three-quarters in 1:24.2 and kept pouring it on to hit the wire in 1:52, a lifetime best and only two-fifths off the track and world record of Pinkman.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Three of the four favorites in their $30,000 divisions of the Pennsylvania All-Stars series for three-year-old trotting fillies were victorious Saturday afternoon at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono – but it was the non-chalk who produced the fastest time.
 
Three of the four favorites in their $30,000 divisions of the Pennsylvania All-Stars series for two-year-old pacing fillies were not victorious – but it was the one winning favorite who posted the fastest time.
 
Among the sophomores, it was the Muscle Massive filly Miss McKee who was the speediest with a lifetime best of 1:53, with George Napolitano Jr. keeping her on her toes to let no challenger get by early, in the middle, or late in the race. The sophomore is now 4-for-5 since trainer Jack Baggitt Jr. reintroduced her to trotting hopples, and the equipment switch looks to have worked wonders, to the pleasure of owner J L Sadowsky LLC.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
BEDFORD PA – The fortunes of weather finally smiled on the southwestern Pennsylvania city of Bedford this year, so that the Bedford Fair could conduct both cards of racing on Thursday and Friday.
 
And to succeed, it helped to be named Schadel.
 
Over the 22 races during the two days of racing, Todd Schadel trained and drove nine winners. Included among them was the fastest winner of the meet, the Well Said sophomore gelding Nome Hanover, who paced a 1:58.2 mile for the ownership of Todd Schadel, Timothy Hayes, and Dr. Megan Moschgat. (The other 2:00 mile of the meet was posted by Todd’s sometimes-partner and longtime friendly rival Roger Hammer, the owner/trainer/driver of the Delmarvalous sophomore gelding Life’s Marvalous, who was home in 1:58.3.)

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – A pair of “pocket rockets” found their way home first to take the $11,200 co-featured events, one on each gait, at Harrah’s Philadelphia Friday afternoon.
 
On the pacing side, the Somebeachsomewhere sophomore gelding Gingras Beach made the top from post eight, yielded to Full Send, and stalked the leader to the final turn, where he pulled out, made the lead, and then withstood a late move from Rogerthat Bluechip while taking a new mark of 1:52.3. George Brennan was in the sulky for trainer Ron Burke and the ownership of Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC, J&T Silva- Purnel & Libby, and Larry Karr.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – The Airzoom Lindy mare Morairtime opened a big lead fairly early in the $14,400 featured trot Thursday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia, then held on to virtually all of that lead through the wire while taking a lifetime mark of 1:52.3.
 
Jack Parker Jr., driving for trainer Carol Jamieson-Parker and owner James Moore III, zoomed away from the gate with Morairtime, putting up fractions of :27.1, :55.4, and 1:23.3, with pocketsitter Home’N Dry not able to stay tight and other contenders having to hustle from far back. The sulky style of Parker and his father Jack Sr., seen many a time in Delaware Valley racing over the last half-century, was shown both in the frontwheeling tactics and in the “high-rein” urging to the wire, as Morairtime beat the two-holer home by 3½ lengths.