Washington, PA --- Fly Past Hanover, a 3-year-old trotting gelding, shot the Lightning Lane and notched his second straight Pennsylvania Fairs championship Saturday at The Meadows.
On a festive evening that featured many family-oriented activities, The Meadows hosted all eight fairs finals, each with a purse of $25,000 — up 25 percent from last year. Aaron Merriman piloted three champions, including a pair — Fly Past Hanover and Wimborne Hanover — for trainer William Daugherty, Jr.
Fly Past Hanover stalked the favorite, Mr Weaver, from the pocket and blew by inside to triumph in 1:59.2 for his 22nd victory over the past two seasons, downing Mr Weaver by 2-1/4 lengths. Faust was third. Daugherty said he wasn’t surprised the son of Cantab Hall-Flexible Spending was able to repeat as champion.
“He’s a good honest trotter — 90 percent sound, no big problems,” Daugherty said. “We got rained out three or four times this summer; that gave him a little rest.”
In the other championships:
3-Year-Old Filly Trot — Sheema Star
Sheema Star provided the night’s tote board pyrotechnics when she shed excess cover in the lane to pull off a 50-1 shocker in 1:59.3 and give driver Brady Brown his first career victory at The Meadows. She Nuit was second by a head, with Hearts Content third.
“When I saw I was following the morning-line favorite, I knew we wouldn’t be on the fence long,” Brown said. “I figured I would have cover carrying me all the way to the stretch. My plan was to come from the back anyway. Everything worked out.”
Ashley Brown owns and trains the daughter of SJ’s Caviar-Hearts In Bloom.
3-Year-Old Filly Pace — Wiggle It Hanover
Not to be outdone by his buddy Brown, Shawn Johnston captured his initial driving victory at The Meadows when Wiggle It Hanover — a daughter of Dragon Again-Western Gesture that Johnston also owns and trains — rallied to capture only her second lifetime win in 1:56.3. La Fiesta, the PA Fairs juvenile champion, was second, a head back, while Fixed Income earned show.
“They were all itching to get out of there, but she likes to come off the pace,” Johnston said. “Was there anything holding her back? Probably me.”
Johnston received congratulations of sorts when his fellow horsemen doused him with two buckets of icy water.
3-Year-Old Colt & Gelding Pace — Wellsaidandone
Seated early by the determined Ruffle Up and Roger Hammer, Wellsaidandone had more pop late and blazed by the leader to score in 1:53.4 for Merriman, trainer Mike Gillock and owner Harry Locke. On a brusque night when stake records seemed safe, the Well Said-Yenta Hanover gelding missed the stake mark by a tick, an impressive performance.
“That horse of Roger’s looked like he’d been getting his own way at the fairs,” Merriman said. “I thought if he got cheap fractions, he’d be tough to beat. My horse really exploded out of the hole and made my job extremely easy.”
2-Year-Old Colt & Gelding Trot — Wimborne Hanover