GRATZ, PA - The Andover Hall gelding Manhattanup No Ice equaled the track record of 1:58.4 for three-year-old harness racing trotting males at the Gratz (PA) fairgrounds during the PA Sire Stakes "Fair" portion of a two-week stand at the eastcentral Pennsylvania twicearound on Saturday (2YOs) and Sunday (3YOs).
Manhattanup No Ice headed down the road in :29.2, :59, and 1:28.2 before equaling the local standard first established by S J Better Days in 2011. Todd Schadel is the owner, trainer, and driver of the six-time fair winner in 2020.
Schadel also accounted for the fastest mile of the meet a race earlier when he sent the Well Said pacing gelding Nome Hanover to the lead into turn two and went on to victory in 1:56.3. Todd drove and trains the sophomore, and he is co-owner with Timothy Hayes and Dr. Megan Moschgat.
The Sweet Lou filly Ginger Tree Carey became the first horse to post five 2:00 miles on the PA fair circuit this season when she opened the Sunday card for sophomores with an engine tally in 1:58.1. Trainer/driver Sam Beegle also co-owns the streaking miss with Ginger Tree Ventures LLC, Henlopen Stable, and Neil Chesen.
If you wanted to follow an "A" division Sire Stakes two-year-old winner back to the barn, the instructions were simple: if you wanted to see a trotter, you went to Todd Schadel's barn, and if you wanted to see a pacer, you'd go to where Team Brickell / York had their horses.
The Team's amazing Betting Line - Lazan Hanover filly Lazy Day Hanover, co-owned by driver Dave Brickell and trainer/son-in-law Mitchell York, reclaimed a share of the title of Winningest Standardbred in 2020 North America with her 13th victory of the campaign, this win in 2:00.4. Three other horses have notched 13 triumphs at this writing, but Lazy Day Hanover is the only freshman among that quartet.
"Lazy Day"'s fellow filly, the A Rocknroll Dance - Tiamo miss Tiamogonedancen, completed a sweep of the division with a 2:01 triumph, her ninth at the fairs. And Brickell/York also won the lone division of the high-end colt pace with the Artspeak - Subtle Charm gelding Seth Hanover in 1:58.2.
Heading the Schadel freshman diamondgaiters was the Sebastian K S - Ruffleshaveridges filly R Speed Of Light, who overcame the outside post six to equal the 2:01.2 fair season's record she set here seven days previously. Trainer/driver Schadel and his wife Christine co-own the winner of four straight with Rick and Regina Beinhauer. The other section was taken by the late-developing Muscle Massive - Cantab Cabela filly Sunshineintherain in 2:03.3; she won three early "B" Fair Sire Stakes events, and since has added five wins at the "A" level for Todd and Christine.
Todd won as trainer in the single "A" colt trot sector, with Aaron Johnston guiding the fractious but fast Donato Hanover - By A Nose Hanover colt By A Hoff Hanover to a win in 2:01.1 for the partnership of Todd and Christine Schadel along with Timothy Hayes and Dr. Megan Moschgat.
After reading these results, one would not be surprised to learn that Todd Schadel and Dave Brickell each drove four winners for first place at the meet or that Todd trained six winners (one driven by son Cody) to head that category.
The fair season in Pennsylvania has two more stops, this Friday and Saturday at Bloomsburg and then at Honesdale the following Tuesday and Wednesday, and in the tough competition, only two horses have clinched their preliminary point title: Lazy Day Hanover and three-year-old trotting gelding No Name Yankee.