By: Jerry Connors, Jr.
HUGHESVILLE PA – For the second straight week, the Pennsylvania Fair harness circuit set up shop at the Lycoming County Fairgrounds in the northcentral portion of the state; last week Hughesville hosted one of five “Two-Day” non-fair events enabled by legislation, and this Wednesday and Thursday the Fair Sire Stakes horses raced the “fair-proper” meeting.
The most amazing fact from this week’s racing occurred during Thursday, the day for three-year-olds, as brothers Todd and Tony Schadel swept the eight “A” Fair Sire Stakes events, two divisions each in each of the four categories. Tony is this barn’s driver, wife Linda is the trainer, and the pair co-own all these three-year-old winners, while Todd is the trainer and driver of these horses from his shedrow.
Tony and Linda Schadel had a sweep of the pacing filly event, with the Always B Miki filly Milagro, the horse who first won her 2024 Championship in a record time and then last Thursday set the Hughesville’s standard of 1:55.2 under perfect conditions, came back again Thursday to win in 1:59; her stablemate Tina’s Wish also won in 2:01.3. In the three other sophomore “A” sections, drivers Todd won one and Tony won one.
The “A” colt paces both provided 2:00 miles, the faster being the Always B Miki gelding Don’t B Blue in 1:59.1 for “TnSchadel”; “TdSchadel” won in 2:00 with Bettor Not to become one of two horses, both from Todd’s barn, to win in the “A”s at the first three fair stops. A third 2:00 mile was added in a “B” Sire Stakes cut, as Risky Endeavor won in 2:00 for driver Joe Chindano Sr. and trainer Neil Balcerak.
On the trot, 2024 champion Lionheart Hanover, a Greenshoe gelding, won in 2:01 with Tony’s handling for the fastest trot of this meet; the other winner in this group, Set The Bar, set the track trot standard of 1:58.4 last week and was the second horse of Todd’s to reach three “A” wins at the fairs in 2025. It should be noted that among Todd’s sophomore winners, Set The Bar is the only one not exclusively owned by Todd and his wife Christine; Rick and Regina Beinhauer are also partners.
Among the two-year-olds, no “A” horse recorded a third win, but the fair season’s record listing was beaten once and tied once, both alterations by fillies. The Father Patrick – Pixie’s Lady trotting filly Pixie’s Stardust broke her maiden in a fair-leading 2:04.1 for trainer-driver Steve Schoeffel and owners Kathy Schoeffel, James Nelson, Michael Munn, and Roger Romeesser.
On the pace, the 2:03.1 season’s mark of Beachy’s Mistress (also handled by Schoeffel) was equaled by the Heston Blue Chip – Sirens Song miss Lady T, who broke her maiden for trainer/driver Pete Kaiser, co-owner with Zachary Kaiser.
Training honors at Hughesville II were shared by Linda and Todd Schadel with seven winners; Tony won the driving crown by guiding all seven of Linda’s winners, with Todd driving six horses he trained (the seventh winner was guided by his son Cody, finishing ahead of his dad). Eric Neal continued with a hot hand by steering two winners each day.
The fair circuit is right back in action starting this weekend at Clearfield, about as central a track as there is in Pennsylvania, with Clearfield employing their now-unique four-day format: Sunday the 13th freshman trotters at 5:30, followed by their pacing counterparts on Monday at 1. Pacers are highlighted the last two days at Clearfield, with trotters at 1 on Tuesday and the meet closing with pacers at 5:30 Wednesday.
All the Clearfield action is scheduled for live streaming on the You Tube channel of the Fair Horsemen’s Association (PFHHA):https://www.youtube.com/@pfhha-tv3905/streams. You can reach live streaming coordinator Seth Dowling at 717 513 3643.
HUGHESVILLE PA – For the second straight week, the Pennsylvania Fair harness circuit set up shop at the Lycoming County Fairgrounds in the northcentral portion of the state; last week Hughesville hosted one of five “Two-Day” non-fair events enabled by legislation, and this Wednesday and Thursday the Fair Sire Stakes horses raced the “fair-proper” meeting.
The most amazing fact from this week’s racing occurred during Thursday, the day for three-year-olds, as brothers Todd and Tony Schadel swept the eight “A” Fair Sire Stakes events, two divisions each in each of the four categories. Tony is this barn’s driver, wife Linda is the trainer, and the pair co-own all these three-year-old winners, while Todd is the trainer and driver of these horses from his shedrow.
Tony and Linda Schadel had a sweep of the pacing filly event, with the Always B Miki filly Milagro, the horse who first won her 2024 Championship in a record time and then last Thursday set the Hughesville’s standard of 1:55.2 under perfect conditions, came back again Thursday to win in 1:59; her stablemate Tina’s Wish also won in 2:01.3. In the three other sophomore “A” sections, drivers Todd won one and Tony won one.
The “A” colt paces both provided 2:00 miles, the faster being the Always B Miki gelding Don’t B Blue in 1:59.1 for “TnSchadel”; “TdSchadel” won in 2:00 with Bettor Not to become one of two horses, both from Todd’s barn, to win in the “A”s at the first three fair stops. A third 2:00 mile was added in a “B” Sire Stakes cut, as Risky Endeavor won in 2:00 for driver Joe Chindano Sr. and trainer Neil Balcerak.
On the trot, 2024 champion Lionheart Hanover, a Greenshoe gelding, won in 2:01 with Tony’s handling for the fastest trot of this meet; the other winner in this group, Set The Bar, set the track trot standard of 1:58.4 last week and was the second horse of Todd’s to reach three “A” wins at the fairs in 2025. It should be noted that among Todd’s sophomore winners, Set The Bar is the only one not exclusively owned by Todd and his wife Christine; Rick and Regina Beinhauer are also partners.
Among the two-year-olds, no “A” horse recorded a third win, but the fair season’s record listing was beaten once and tied once, both alterations by fillies. The Father Patrick – Pixie’s Lady trotting filly Pixie’s Stardust broke her maiden in a fair-leading 2:04.1 for trainer-driver Steve Schoeffel and owners Kathy Schoeffel, James Nelson, Michael Munn, and Roger Romeesser.
On the pace, the 2:03.1 season’s mark of Beachy’s Mistress (also handled by Schoeffel) was equaled by the Heston Blue Chip – Sirens Song miss Lady T, who broke her maiden for trainer/driver Pete Kaiser, co-owner with Zachary Kaiser.
Training honors at Hughesville II were shared by Linda and Todd Schadel with seven winners; Tony won the driving crown by guiding all seven of Linda’s winners, with Todd driving six horses he trained (the seventh winner was guided by his son Cody, finishing ahead of his dad). Eric Neal continued with a hot hand by steering two winners each day.
The fair circuit is right back in action starting this weekend at Clearfield, about as central a track as there is in Pennsylvania, with Clearfield employing their now-unique four-day format: Sunday the 13th freshman trotters at 5:30, followed by their pacing counterparts on Monday at 1. Pacers are highlighted the last two days at Clearfield, with trotters at 1 on Tuesday and the meet closing with pacers at 5:30 Wednesday.
All the Clearfield action is scheduled for live streaming on the You Tube channel of the Fair Horsemen’s Association (PFHHA):https://www.youtube.com/@pfhha-tv3905/streams. You can reach live streaming coordinator Seth Dowling at 717 513 3643.
RSS Feed
