Bloomsburg, PA – The time-honored Bloomsburg Stakes were raced this Wednesday and Thursday at the fairgrounds oval here, with some $45,000 in stakes putting an official end to the 2014 Pennsylvania fair season.
Wednesday’s action was highlighted by Police Navidad winning his 11th race, putting him atop all North American freshman trotters. The altered son of Muscle Massive won in 2:06.2 for trainer/driver Steve Schoeffel, and is owned by Virginia and Kathy Schoeffel in partnership with Lander Stables LLC and James Reuther.
Roger Hammer trained two winners Wednesday, guiding his own 2TF Peoplesayimnogood to victory in 2:02.3, an impressive clocking for the daughter of Lear Jetta. Hammer then again turned over the lines of the Rustler Hanover gelding Rustlercafe to Chris Shaw, the fair circuit’s leading driver, and that gelding won his 11th straight race, and 13th of the year (seven times with Shaw guiding), in 2:01.2. Driver Chris Shaw currently has the amazing status of being the driver behind four of the five winningest 2-year-olds in all of North America, the others being the filly Tropical Terror (15) and the geldings Nippy (14) and Marshmallow Pulse (12). The latter three are trained by his brother Jason and owned by his 2-year-old nephew Mason.
Fastest mile of the two days was the 2:00.4 clocked by 2PF Keystone I Wish, a daughter of Art Official-I Will, in winning her stake (all but the 3TCs went one division). Her “big sister” by Yankee Cruiser, Keystone Ivy, won the 3PF event on Thursday in 2:05.4, when rain dampened the racetrack and any hope for fast times. Both fillies are trained and were driven by Todd Schadel, and Schadel also shares ownership with his wife Christine.
Hammer turned up behind two more winners on Thursday, one behind his own Real Artist gelding Ruffle Up, the only multiple sub 2:00 performer at the fairs this year; here he negotiated a “slow” oval in 2:02.4. Roger also won for trainer/owner Boots Dunn with the streaking SJ’s Caviar filly Hearts Content, who won in 2:05 and is carrying her speed better from start to start.
Taking the 3TC races were Mr Weaver (driver Bryce Truitt) in 2:07.1-29.4 and Millertown Road (Steve Schoeffel) in 2:09-30.
Many of the above-named horses and horsemen will be at The Meadows on Saturday, October 4, to compete in the $200,000 Pennsylvania Fair Sire Stakes Championship Night.