WILKES-BARRE PA – The Green shoe gelding Lionheart Hanover became only the second Pennsylvania Fair Sire Stakes horse, and the first male and first trotter, to complete the “grand slam” (in the phrase of announcer Jim Beviglia), winning his regular season title in the harness races and his championship race at both two and three, with his win in one of eight $25,000 Pennsylvania Fair Sire Stakes Championships on a “sloppy” track on a humid day at Pocono Downs in Mohegan Pennsylvania.
After Lionheart Hanover led all carnival racers this summer with thirteen victories at the Keystone twice around, its owners Tony and Linda Schadel (the latter also his trainer) decided to call on Pocono’s leader Tyler Buter to drive the heavy favorite. As was the case with many of today’s champions, Lionheart Hanover raced close to the pace and then rallied (sliding into stalled cover into the far corner as the chalk players held their breath) to trail pacesetter Set The Bar by 1¾ lengths in 1:59 (three-fifths slower than his fastest fair mile, measured at Bloomsburg).
LIONHEART HANNOVER REPEAT
The only other Fair horse to do the “grand slam” was the filly Bettor Strait N Up, in 2021-2022. Her connections? Linda and Tony Schadel.
Team Tony, Linda and Tyler also combined for a second finals winner with another champion repeater, the Always B Miki filly Milagro, who has 12 wins this year, including eight season leaders in 2:00 or less. Another well-supported chalk, Milagro and Buter pulled from the mid-back pocket and went straight into the lead, with Don’t Touch My T following her every step and coming within striking distance of the winning filly, who equaled her lifetime target of 1:54.2 achieved in her first-year championship. Milagro was the points leader of her group this year, but not in 2024, but repeating as a champion is an impressive feat in itself.
Wonderful repetition
Buter returned for a third Fair Championship victory with Compensate Me, teaming up, as he has done many times this year, with Ron Burke, the circuit’s leading conditioner. Compensate Me made a big move to win the 3YO pacing men’s title in 1:54.1 over a “+3” surface: working to a forward position, getting a pocket retuck on the far turn, then getting on track and staying three parts of a length clear of Sweet Parlay, who had a tough trip from far back in his bid to become a repeat champion. Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC own the winner, a modified son of Sweet Lou who had won at Pocono in 1:50.4 earlier this year.
COMPENSATE ME REPEAT
Buter had never won a Fair Championship race before today and then added three in 40 minutes to his resume.
In the second mare’s trot, the Cantab Hall Filly Shalamar Hanover, second choice in the betting and second in the season points total, went first after Tally The Tab, the points leader and her stablemate, was her favourite, exhausted her and then withstood Kind Of Likecash, who came all the way from last, in 2:00.1, just a tick ahead of her good season co-leading time and her career mark. Braxten Boyd guided Shalamar Hanover for trainer Todd Schadel, who is also co-owner Christine Schadel.
The first year pacing foals were awarded by the Papi Rob Hannover – Candlelight Dinner colt Papi Hour, who had run a few miles under 1:58 at the fairs in September and here lowered his score to 1:56.2. Second choice Papi Hour looped favorite Ima Proud Captain out of the gate and forced him into the pocket, and that order didn’t change down the stretch as the winner was brought home by driver Jim Pantaleano for trainer Neil Balcerak and owner George Prushnok.
The two-year-old pacing mares were handled by the Always B Miki – JM Betting Hearts are missing Dancin Sweet Heart, who didn’t look like a lucky horse after finishing 12th in the standings and drawing as others failed to report. Dancin Sweet Heart moved into the lead with authority down the backstretch, and even when heavy favorite Vegas Queen came to challenge, the 12-1 shot remained strong, dropping her score to 1:58 in five seconds ahead of driver Ridge Warren (also a first-time PaFSS Ch winner), trainer Gary Johnston and owner Grace Wright.
Dad Patricia had all the qualifications for the first-year filly trotting championship: nine fair victories (co-leader among two-year-olds), including seven in a row; the points leader; and the season record of 2:01.2. The Father Patrick – Tymal Lux Distaff, the heavy favourite, lowered that time, which was her target, by a touch, edging into the lead in front of the grandstands and maintaining control to the finish on the fast-charging Drinks On Olivia for driver Chris Shaw (putting him tenth on the all-time drivers list for PaFSSCh wins with six), trainer Ashley Brown and owners Sandy Petersen and Alexa Shaw.
In the first-year foal and gelding trot, Matt Kakaley arranged the Green shoe – Fifty Shades colt Green Shades midpack behind a fast (for the conditions) pace, gradually rode into the lead from five-eighth, and then came clear to win 40-1 against Mileys Mo Moni, as he cut his score to 2:01.4. Fifty Shades is trained by Steven Cook for Hutt Racing Stable.
In total, Tyler Buter had a quadruple on the day (consecutive), with Anthony Napolitano coming home first three times. The doubling trainers were Ron Burke and Linda Schadel – all four of these horses were ridden by Buter.
The week of racing at Pocono Downs concludes Tuesday at 1 p.m.; Next week’s races feature opening sections of the John Simpson Sr. Memorial Stakes. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.pha.org.
For full race results, click here: American trotting results.
From the PHHA/Pocono Downs
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