By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
MEYERSDALE PA – The Pennsylvania Fair Circuit came to the Somerset County Fairgrounds in a southwestern borough of this state, just under 90 minutes southeast from Pittsburgh and almost within sight of the Mason-Dixon line.
 
And the Meyersdale racing quickly became the Eric Neal Show, as the youthful veteran horseman, the 2023 Fair Circuit leader, won eight races, four during two-year-old action on Wednesday and another four with three-year-olds on Thursday. Neal’s Wednesday success made for several storylines, as he combined with trainer Tom Loughery Jr. for a “triple sweep” among the freshman colt ranks.
 
RT Bad Business (Fordham Road – Order By Meryl, 2:05.4) and RT Road Of Glory (Fordham Road – RT Gloria De Dios, 2:04.2) swept the “A” trotting colt ranks for Neal, Loughry, and the Rocky Top stable of the late Lefty Brocious. There was only one cut of the “A” filly event, won by Western Twister (Father Patrick – Wind Of The West) in 2:07.2, to give Neal, Loughry, and Brocious a second sweep, that of all the “A” baby trots. Then for good measure, RT Plain Jane won the “B” baby filly trot, effecting a third “sweep” of both the A & B filly trots for the same sponsorship.
 
Among the 2YO colt pacers, the Heston Blue Chip – McVenus gelding Flying Arrow was successful in 2:04.1, preventing second-place Lucas Hanover from being the first five-time fair winner. (That time was bettered by a tick in the “B” ranks by Joe Bananas, from the hot shedrow of Steve Schoeffel.)
 
Becoming a four-time PA fairs winner was the Papi Rob Hanover – Ideal Appeal pacing miss Unreal Appeal Sgt, whose 2:02 was the fastest freshman time, for the ownership of trainer Linda and driver-husband Tony Schadel.
 
Neal came right back with a quadruple on sophomore Thursday, including a 1:59.4 win with the Sweet Lou gelding Jaybird. The other “A” section went much faster – 1:57, just missing the 1:56.2 standards of gelding Needham Hanover and filly Milagro. It was taken by Adam Cheesehead, an altered son of Papi Rob Hanover, making his fair debut but beating three previous “A” circuit winners, for driver Billy Carter, trainer Neil Balcerak, and owner George Prushnok.
 
Tying for the equine circuit lead with four fair successes is the “claimer,” pacing filly Lovebug Hanover, who after being purchased is four-for-four at the fairs and here won in 2:00 for driver Kyle Bolon, trainer Kevin Johnson, and P T Stable.
 
Trotting speed honors were shared at 2:02 by the Captain Corey filly Cocktail Captain and the Father Patrick gelding Family Guy, who last week had set the seasonal speed mark for trotters in 2:00 at Bedford.
 
And Eric Neal got three more wins in the “B” ranks, including his fifth combination of the meet with trainer Tom Loughery via the trotter Coach Brett. Neal and Loughery far outdistanced their fellow horsemen to take the meet’s honors.
 
The crisscrossing Pennsylvania Fair Circuit jumps an hour to the northeast for its next racing, a Two-Day Meet at the Bedford Fairgrounds on Tuesday (August 4, freshmen) and Wednesday (August 5, sophomores), with declarations due on Sunday, August 2, according to the circuit’s usual procedures.
 
Now the Circuit gets REALLY hot in August: Bedford 2-Day on the 4th and 5th; Honesdale 2-Day on the 8th and 9th; Honesdale Fair on the 12th ad 13th; Washington Fair on the 16th and 17th; Dayton Fair on the 19th and 20th; Meadville Fair on the 21st and 22nd; Indiana Fair on the 27th and 28th; and Wattsburg Fair on the 30th and 31st!

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Benjamin Hanover won his third straight $16,000 fast-class handicap trotting feature at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Thursday afternoon – but the result was about the only carryover from the dynamics of this class recently.
 
Little Expensive, returning to Philly after a highly-successful meet at Oak Grove, gunned right to the top from the outside post six, and Ari Ferrari J, who had won two showdowns with “Benjamin” before finishing second him in the last two, hustled out to the pocket from post four, one spot inside Benjamin Hanover. The last-named, driven by Philly’s top driver Tim Tetrick, didn’t even eye a possibly-developing three-tuck, shifting to an even-higher gear to make the top nearing the :27.4 quarter, then set fractions of :56.1 and 1:24.
 
Ari Ferrari J (sent off at 6-5 behind Benjamin’s 3-5 after being the favorite in the previous four matchups) was starting to advance uncovered towards the leader nearing  the far turn but suddenly lost his gait, and the race seemed down to the pacesetter and pocketsitter. Little Expensive trotted home strongly from the two-hole after 22 days off, but Benjamin Hanover had the determination to withstand his late bid by a neck. Benjamin Hanover, now with 36 wins in his 73-start career, is trained by Scott Di Domenico for owner Angela Cornell.
 
The $13,000 fast-class subfeature went to Howlingathemoon DK, who enjoyed both a drop from the top level and a chance to control the pace from the inside starting slot, cutting fractions of :27, :56.3, and 1:24.3 before arriving home in control in 1:53.4 Simon Allard had the seat behind the victorious Cantab Hall gelding for trainer-owner Pat Lachance.


In the $14,000 feature for developing horses, the sophomore Greenshoe filly Berry Good News enjoyed a break from tough stakes competition from her Pennsylvania peers and produced an authoritative 1:55.1 score, lowering her mark by a tick. Andrew McCarthy regulated fractions of :29, :58.3, and 1:26.3 before winning in hand with the Nifty Norman-conditioned miss, owned by Melvin Hartman and David Mc Duffee.
 
Tim Tetrick led the drivers’ scorecard with three victories on the day; winning twice in the sulky were Croey Callahan, Andrew McCarthy, and Patrick Ryder.
 
Friday’s Philly features are for pacing distaffs looking to advance their careers, with the $14,000 headliner spotlighting shipper Two Twenty Swift, a championship winner in both the New York and Massachusetts programs last year. There will also be several races for two-year-olds looking to make their mark in upcoming Sire Stakes / Stallion Series action at the riverside oval. Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Trainer George Ducharme, long known for his prowess with trotting horses, swept the three features for diagonally-gaited horses on Tuesday afternoon at Pocono Downs at Mohawk Pennsylvania, where a constant soaking of rain rendering the sloppy track three seconds off for most of the card, including all the headliners.
 
Ducharme combined with owner Paul Fontaine, also no stranger to good horses, in winning the two $16,000 features for two-year-old trotters, one on each gait. Fontaine is the outright owner of the Captain Corey – One Margarita filly One Tequila, who came on strongly in the last quarter for driver Braxten Boyd to record a nose decision over favored pacesetter I’m A Hugger in a maiden mark of 1:56.4 (remember, freshman trotting fillies on a track three seconds off), with pocketsitter Eternal Light only a neck away from taking it all.
 
Thirteen years ago the Fontaine-co-owned Royalty For Life made a break on the first turn in his Earl Beal elimination at Pocono, then made a huge recovery to finish second. On Tuesday a horse Fontaine co-owns with Ducharme, Jim Winske, and Jason Ash, the Greenshoe – Island Lily gelding Inland Hanover, had a even bigger recovery from a first turn mishap, coming back to break his maiden in 1:58.3 after being last at the half and almost fourteen lengths out at the three quarters – and winning by five lengths for Matt Kakaley with a :28.1 kicker.
 
Braxten Boyd and Ducharme would again team in the $15,500 overnight feature for up-and-coming trotters, as another Captain Corey colt, the sophomore False Dogma, overcame being parked to the three eighths from post eight to roll on to a 1:54.2 victory, holding off Captain Micah while winning his second straight for Ducharme, Coyote Wynd Farms, and Joe Sbrocco.
 
There was also a $16,000 pace for freshman pacing males, taken by the Stay Hungry – Continualou colt Lions Not Sheep in 1:56.2 for his first triumph. A trifle fumbly nearing the quarter, Lions Not Sheep was moved raw by driver Ridge Warren with five eighths to go, yet he still could roar home identical :27.4 back quarters to head In One Fell Swoop for trainer Nicholas Devita and the partnership of David Hamm, Glenn Phillips, and Pit Bull Stable LLC.
 
2026 Dan Patch Rising Star Award winner Braxten Boyd drove five winners on the Tuesday program, with as mentioned the two for trainer Ducharme; as mentioned, Matt Kakaley had the other success story for Ducharme among his own three winners. Ridge Warren bagged a pair of victories.
 
There will next be live pari-mutuel racing at Pocono Downs this Saturday (August 1) at 1 p.m., with the high-class features carded almost wall-to-wall for the card, and a carryover into the last race High 5 wager. Remember that Pocono will not be racing any more 5 p.m. Sunday twilight cards starting this Sunday (August 2), and the next racing after Saturday will take place on Monday at 1 p.m., with exciting Pennsylvania two-year-old pacing males contesting $231,892 of second preliminary round Sire Stakes and Stallion Series racing. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Rain came in early on the Monday card at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, with a “fast” track being downgraded to “sloppy,” and when the rain left the surface was regraded to first “good” and then again “fast.”
 
The $21,000 featured fast-class trot, with the track having just been moved to “fast” status (as it stayed for the trot co-feature), proved a strong 1:51.2 victory for the Chapter Seven four-year-old gelding Mr Mouton, whom George Napolitano Jr. hustled directly to the top, put up early splits of :27.2, :56.2, and 1:24.1, then kicked home in :27.1 to win by three parts of a length over a very strong Celebrity Bambino, himself not far off millionaire status.
 
The victory was the first for Mr Mouton since June 20, but that was a pretty memorable one, when Mr Mouton flew down the Meadowlands stretch to win in 1:50.2 and hand On To Norway his only defeat in his last 30 starts. Mr Mouton is trained by Åke Svanstedt for Knutsson Trotting Inc., Little E LLC, Stolz Geiger, and Jorgen Sparredal Inc.
 
The co-featured fast-class trot, worth $16,000, saw Brian Sears give the Archangel mare Black Velvet AS a well-judged drive en route to a 1:52.2 mark for trainer Anette Lorentzon and ACL Stuteri AB. Sears sat third as favored Abruzzo carved out a sharp pace, then gradually reeled that one in in the latter stages to have a three quarters of a length advantage on the money.
 
There were three $15,500 divisions of a class for younger horses on their way up, two on the trot and one on the pace.  One of the trotting winners was the Captain Corey sophomore filly I’ll Take The Cake, who has two Stallion Series victories and here negotiated a “good” track in 1:53, coming out of the pocket to chase down pacesetter Dollar Draft for driver Simon Allard and trainer Blake MacIntosh, the latter co-owner with Hutt Racing Stable.
 
The other section for trotters in this class, contested over a “sloppy” surface, was taken by the Bar Hopping three-year-old gelding Highball Hanover, who won for the second time in his last three starts in 1:56.3. Niko Karna made two moves in the first half to reach the top, then came home with the winner in :28.3 to win for trainer Noel Daley and the partnership of Sjoblom Racing & M. Dolan, Joe Sbrocco & JAF Racing, Caviart Farms, and P C Wellwood Enterprises Inc.
 
In the other division for up-and-comers, limited to pacing females, the American Ideal sophomore filly Lenna went the mile of her life to lower her mark in 1:50.2 (fast). Lenna was used past the quarter to get the top, resisted a midrace move by a hard-charging fist-over challenger, then had more than enough to leave pocketsitting Point Breeze well behind. Anthony Napolitano had the sulky seat behind Lenna for trainer Deborah Daguet and owner Forrest Bartlett (of Horse of the Year Forrest Skipper fame).
 
Anthony Napolitano visited the winners circle five times on Monday, Braxten Boyd won the first three events on the card, and Brian Sears brought home two winners (he’s now three for six in his “comeback”).
 
The Tuesday 1 p.m. card at Pocono has $16,000 events for both sexes of trotters and a pacing colt event, with many of these youngsters rounding into form for upcoming stakes action. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – In his three previous victories this year, two of them in sub-1:47, Captain Optimistic had secured the front end by the half. So when his backers at Philly on Sunday afternoon saw him sixth and wide nearing the first turn, they might have been worried about the 1-9* choice’s chances. But driver Scott Zeron backed off the early speed battle, raced Captain Optimistic from second-over position, and had enough late kick to take the $16,000 fast-class handicap pace in 1:49.2.
 
More than half of the field of seven had left the switch quickly in the feature, with Lou’s Starr first on top then yielding to Smooth Dream past the :26.1 quarter. Smooth Dream, a Graduate checkgetter, maintained the top at the :54.2 half, after which Goliath Hanover, claimed for $20,000 five starts ago, came up with a speedy first-over challenge, with Captain Optimistic sticking right with his lively cover to and past the 1:21.4 three quarters.
 
Zeron tipped his charge three-wide approaching the stretch, but then found Goliath Hanover resilient and 47-1 shot Blue Lou swinging even wider from off his back and gaining. But the class of the four-year-old son of Captaintreacherous showed as :53.3 back half speed (after a wide start) carried him to a three quarters of a length  victory over Goliath Hanover, with Blue Lou another half length back, as the ”Captain,” now a winner of $1,320,787, got the job done for trainer Nancy Takter and the Captain Optimistic Stable.
 
In the $13,000 co-featured fast class pace, Taranaki was away strongly for the pocket behind pacesetting Water Sports Teen (:26.1, :54,2, 1:22.1), found room to go up the inside to a midstretch lead, then had a group of late challengers threatening his advantage late but maintained the victory in 1:50.2; 49-1 shot Dontmesswithles was nearest the winner, a neck back. The victorious roan son of Huntsville has won two in a row and four of his last seven for trainer Paul Jessop, co-owner with Laurie Molnar.
 
Favored Toby Or Not Toby, after racing in the Meadowlands Pace Final, was quarter-mover number two in the $14,00 top purse event for developing horses, made the top in front of stands, and paced nicely to defeat his field by two lengths in a lifetime best 1:50.4. Jim Marohn Jr. handled the Tall Dark Stranger sophomore gelding for trainer Scott Di Domenico and the partnership of Oompa’s Farm Inc. and Joseph Barbera.
 
The list of doubling drivers at Philly on Sunday ran the gamut from A to Z – Simon Allard and Scott Zeron visited the winners circle twice. The only training double went to Johnny Crites Jr.
 
Racing resumes at Harrah’s Philly on Thursday at 12:25, with the $16,000 featured fast-class handicap trot finding Ari Ferrari J and Benjamin Hanover looking for the upper hand after splitting the last four top trots at Philly; this week they will be joined by Little Expensive, shipping in from Oak Grove after winning four times in the top class at their spring meeting. Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Unreasonable won the inaugural $75,000 Mohegan Cup for free-for-all pacing mares Sunday evening at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, tying Somwherovrarainbow's twelve-year-old track record for four-year-old pacing mares with a powerful front-end victory in 1:48. That clocking is also the Pocono standard for females of any age.
 
The early rush for prime racing position necessitated Unreasonable to zoom up four-wide to take the lead, with the 1-2 favorite looping three inside rivals, including second choice (6-5) Louies Girl N. The latter pressed on three- then two-wide in hopes of getting a spot near the leader, but with 75-1 shot Front Page Story taking full advantage of track geometry from the rail and maintaining the pocket, Louies Girl N had to back off to third in the wicked :25.2 opener.
 
Just before the :54.1 half, 40-1 Champagne Room (the tote board co-third choice!) started an uncovered move that put pressure on Unreasonable, forcing her to reach the three quarters in 1:21. The former’s big raw brush ended on the far turn, and with Front Page Story gapping a bit in the pocket and Louies Girl N locked behind her, Unreasonable was able to maintain a clear advantage with the mildest of coaxing – and the third quarter of :27 or less she paced in the race. Louies Girl N was able to find belated clearance deep in the Pocono Pike to take second, 1¼ lengths behind the winner and a half length ahead of longshot Front Page Story, who in turn preserved third in a photo with fellow longshot The Last Martini.
 
A daughter of Huntsville, Unreasonable had certainly been showing top form coming to Pocono, with two photo losses to Twin B Joe Fresh preceded by a third to Miki And Minnie in the best stakes company North America had to offer. In the Mohegan Cup (named after the Connecticut-based Native American tribe who operates Pocono), Unreasonable showed she can step with the very best of her division as she boosted her bankroll to $237,369 this year and $939,003 lifetime for the powerful combine of trainer Andrew Harris and Punisher 11 Stable LLC.
 
Matt Kakaley had three driving victories to take honors on the Sunday card. Åke Svanstedt guided two winners, both of whom he trained; Brad Chisholm drove two winners, both of whom are trained by Brett Pelling.
 
Racing will be held on Monday at Pocono at 1 p.m., with the feature a $21,000 trot for the veteran fast-class performers. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – The evergreen pacer Ruthless Hanover, still a world champion on the basis of his 1:46.3f mile just over three years ago, was used very hard to make the lead in the $29,500 fast-class pacing feature on Saturday afternoon at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, yet still dug in gamely to defeat an unlucky Ken Hanover in 1:48, capping a great day for driver George Napolitano Jr. and Team Cancelliere, trainer Tom and owner-brother John.
 
Leaving from post five in the six-horse feature field, Ruthless Hanover found Congressional and then Captainhamerhead A, both drawing inside him, making the early lead. “George Nap” bypassed a 3-tuck with the nine-year-old Somebeachsomewhere gelding despite the :25.3 early price of pacing and forged onwards, not clearing to the top until a bit past the 3/8. It was at that point that Oakwood Ardan IR pulled raw from last, catching favored Ken Hanover inside as the field passed the half in :53.2 and the three quarters in 1:20.4.
 
The outer tier stalled late backstretch and the inner tier was all-out to stay with the leader, so Ken Hanover couldn’t angle out until midturn, and despite charging home in :26.4 he could only get to with a neck of the winner at the wire. Ruthless Hanover now has 32 career wins and a bankroll of $1,036,014.
 
A race earlier, Napolitano and the Cancellieres clicked in the $18,500 co-featured pace, as the Always B Miki gelding Maximus Mikienjoyed a drop in company to post a 1:49.3 triumph. Maximus Miki, like his stablemate a member of  the Millionaires Club (he now has earned $1,108,165 with 29 victories) made every pole a winning one as the timer put up splits of :26.3, :55.4, and 1:22.2 before Maximus Miki passed under the wire with a 2½ length advantage.
 
Napolitano in all had four winners on the day, three of them for Team Cancelliere. Two races were won by George’s brother Anthony and also by each  of the last two winners of the Dan Patch Rising Star Award, Brett Beckwith and Braxten Boyd.
 
Sunday’s 5 p.m. card at Pocono will be the last Sunday program for 2026. The feature will be the inaugural edition of the $75,000 Mohegan Cup for free-for-all pacing mares; likely to be vying for favoritism are Unreasonable, starting from post five with Todd McCarthy up, and Louies Girl A, whom Jason Bartlett will handle from post three. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
BEDFORD PA – The Captain Crunch sophomore pacing gelding Commander Crunch, purchased only nine days ago, equaled the all-age track record of 1:55.2 at the Bedford (PA) Fair during Pennsylvania Fair Sire Stakes competition for three-year-olds on Friday. 1:55.2 had been recorded by the filly Tiamogonedancen in 2021 and the gelding Captaincountrystar in 2023.
 
Commander Crunch, owned by trainer Jeffrey Indof along with Misty Winkler, came to the Keystone State after the transfer and promptly won at Clearfield three days ago. Then at Bedford, after fractions of :29.2, :58.3, and 1:27.2, he reached the line in record time and got two lines in the Bedford books (all-age and divisional) under the guidance of 20-year-old Jesse Barnard.
 
The other section of the “A” FSS for the glamour division produced a magic mile as well, a 1:58.3 mile by Ima Proud Captain which came twelve minutes too late to be the fastest mile of the year at the PA fairs. Even the “B” division saw a 2:00 mile turned in by Fourbyfourbyyou.
 
To round out the 3YO pacers: the quicker division of the higher filly level proved to be the third “A” fair win for Papi Knows, a 1:59.3 victory; the other section was won in 2:00.1 by Lovebug Hanover, her third “A” win since being claimed at The Meadows and her fifth straight victory overall.
 
But that was not the full extent of the 2:00 miles on Friday, as the Father Patrick trotting gelding Family Guy won in 2:00, fastest trotting mile of the fair season in the state. 23YO provisional driver Steven Fedokovitz had the sulky seat for trainer Steve Schoeffel – and owners Kathy Schoeffel, Brett Schoeffel, Kylee Schoeffel, and Brooke Schoeffel.
 
Thursday was two-year-old day at Bedford, and there was a baby who did hold the distinction of the fastest winner of the year at the fairs – for 23 hours and 24 minutes, anyway. That was the Stay Hungry – Latte Lady gelding Lucas Hanover, who won in 1:58.4 for driver Cody Schadel, trainer-father Todd, and owners Todd and Christine (Cody’s mother) Schadel. Lucas Hanover also became the first horse to get to four “A” victories on the year, and emerged the only one as no sophomore could notch a fourth fair triumph.
 
The two-year-old pacing filly Unreal Appeal Sgt won the faster “A” cut in her section, 2:02.2, and the triumph gave her three fair wins for 2026. Her clocking was not the fastest for her age/sex/gait, however, as Honey Roll made her career debut in a “B” division and won in 2:01.4 for 75-years-young Sam Beegle, a Bedford hometown boy.
 
Also deserving recognition is the two-year-old trotting colt Allmymoni Hanover, who won his “A” division in 2:02, missing his divisional record held by Super Fellow (since 1990) and Toolbox Tuesday by only 2/5 of a second.
 
The Schadel families were the biggest winners, as Todd both guided and sent out seven winners to lead the team of driver-husband Tony and trainer-wife Linda, who won five times.
 
The Pennsylvania Fair Circuit now heads to the Somerset County Fair in Meyersdale PA, just some 40 miles away in the southwestern part of the state. Post time will be at 1 p.m. for both Wednesday the 29th’s two-year-old racing and Thursday the 30th’s three-year-old action. Entries for Meyersdale are due Monday, through the usual methods.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA --  A pair of $12,000 paces for up-and-coming females were the lead races at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Friday afternoon, with owner Matthew Stolte seeing half of his four-horse stable (according to USTA records) sweep the features.
 
The Always B Miki filly Car Keys got her motor running early in the faster division and headed down the highway before stopping the timer in 1:51. Patrick Ryder made the lead in the :27.1 opening quarter, eased off the accelerator a bit to a :56.2 half, then came her last half and quarter in :54.3 -- :27 to defeat a tough pocketsitting Luckylady Hanover by 1¼ lengths. Car Keys, a recent Development Fund winner in New Jersey, was successful for Team Ryder (trainer Chris is Patrick’s father) and the ownership of Stolte and Margaret Dey.
 
In the other division of the featured class, the Papi Rob Hanover filly Greenstreet was content to sit second behind Funky Billie Chin, who got soft early numbers of :28.2 and :58.4. Carl Douglas fans had hopes for “Billie” after the dawdling half, but Greenstreet was able to summon a :55.3 last half to just edge the temposetter by a neck while establishing a mark of 1:54.3. Greenstreet was driven by Bradley Chisholm for trainer Brett Pelling, with Stolte co-owning this filly with Peter Mercatili.
 
The four drivers who had multiple victories on the Friday card each drove at least two of their winners for a conditioner with multiple wins. Hall of Famer Tim Tetrick, also Philly’s leading driver, finished first four times, three times for fellow Hall of Famer Linda Toscano; Bradley Chisholm had three tallies, two for Brett Pelling. Niko Karna had a double along with Noel Daley, and Patrick and Chris Ryder tasted success together twice as well.
 
The Philly racing week closes out on Sunday at 12:40 p.m., with Captain Optimistic, who already has two sub-1:47 miles to his credit, the horse to beat in the $16,000 handicap pacing feature. Free Phily program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.