Pocono: Lionheart Hanover roars in his Pennsylvania Fairs Championship

The Greenshoe 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 announcer Jim Beviglia's phrase), winning his regular-season points title and his Championship race at both two and three, with his victory in one of eight $25,000 Pennsylvania Fair Sire Stakes Championships over a "sloppy" track on a dank day at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania.

After Lionheart Hanover led all fair racers with 13 victories over the Keystone twicearounds this summer, his owners Tony and Linda Schadel (the latter also his trainer) decided to call on Pocono's leading driver Tyler Buter to drive the heavy favorite. As was the case with many of today's champions, Lionheart Hanover raced close to the pace, then rallied (slipping inside stalled cover going to the far turn as the chalk-players held their breath) to run down pace-setter Set The Bar by 1 3/4 lengths in 1:59 (three-fifths slower than his fastest fair mile, recorded at Bloomsburg).

The only other Fair horse to do the "grand slam" was pacing filly Bettor Strait N Up, in 2021-2022. Her connections? Linda and Tony Schadel.

Team Tony, Linda, and Tyler also combined for a second finale winner with another Championship repeater, the Always B Miki filly Milagro, who this year had 12 wins, including a season-leading eight of them in 2:00 or less. Another well-supported chalk, Milagro and Buter pulled from the pocket mid-backstretch and went right to the lead, with Don't Touch My T following her every step and coming within a length of the winning filly, who equaled her life mark of 1:54 2/5, set in her freshman Championship. Milagro was the point leader of her group this year but not 2024, but Championship-repeating is nonetheless an impressive task in itself.

Buter came back for a third Fair Championship victory with Compensate Me, teaming as he has many times this year with the track's leading conditioner Ron Burke. Compensate Me went a big mile to win the 3YO pacing males title in 1:54 1/5 over a "+3" surface: working to a forward position, getting a pocket retuck on the far turn, then moving in the lane and staying three-parts of a length clear of Sweet Parlay, who had a hard trip from well-back while trying to be a repeat Champion. Burke Racing Stable LLC. and Weaver Bruscemi LLC. own the winner, an altered son of Sweet Lou who had won in 1:50 4/5 at Pocono earlier in the year.

Buter had never won a Fair Championship race before today, and then he added three in 40 minutes to his resume.

In the sophomore filly trot, the Cantab Hall filly Shalamar Hanover, second choice in the betting and second in the seasonal point totals, went first-over after favored Tally The Tab, the point leader and her stablemate, wore her down, then withstood Kind Of Likecash, who came all the way from last, in 2:00 1/5, just a tick off her fair season co-leader time and her career mark. Braxten Boyd guided Shalamar Hanover for trainer Todd Schadel, who is also co-owner Christine Schadel.

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The 2-year-old pacing colts and geldings were topped by the Papi Rob Hanover-Candlelight Dinner colt Papi Hour, who had paced a pair of sub-1:58 miles at the fairs in September and here lowered his mark to 1:56 2/5. 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 to the wire as the winner was brought home by driver Jim Pantaleano for trainer Neil Balcerak and owner George Prushnok.

The 2-year-old pacing fillies were handled by the Always B Miki-J M Betting Hearts miss Dancin Sweet Heart, who didn't look like a horse who got some luck after finishing 12th in the standings and drew in because others did not declare. Dancin Sweet Heart moved authoritatively down the backstretch to the lead, and even when heavy favorite Vegas Queen came to challenge, the 12-1 shot stayed strong, lowering her mark over five seconds to 1:58 for driver Ridge Warren (also a first-time PaFSS Ch winner), trainer Gary Johnston, and owner Grace Wright.

Pa Patricia had all the credentials going into the 2-year-old filly trot Championship: nine fair victories (co-leader among 2-year-olds), including seven straight; the points leader; and the seasonal fair record of 2:01 2/5. The Father Patrick-Tymal Lux distaff, the big favorite, lowered that time, which was her mark, by a tick, brushing to the lead in front of the stands and retaining control to the finish over fast-charging Drinks On Olivia for driver Chris Shaw (tying him for tenth in the all-time drivers list for PaFSSCh victories with six), trainer Ashley Brown, and owners Sandy Petersen and Alexa Shaw.

In the rookie colt and gelding trot, Matt Kakaley settled the Greenshoe-Fifty Shades colt Green Shades mid-pack behind a quick (for the conditions) tempo, gradually grinded to the lead from the five-eighths, then drew clear to win over 40-1 shot Mileys Mo Moni while reducing his mark to 2:01 4/5. Fifty Shades is trained by Steven Cook for Hutt Racing Stable.

In all, Tyler Buter had a quadruple on the day (consecutively at that), with Anthony Napolitano coming home first three times. Doubling trainers were Ron Burke and Linda Schadel - with all four of these horses driven by Buter.

The racing week at Pocono Downs concludes with a 1 p.m. (EDT) card on Tuesday; next week's racing will feature opening sections of the John Simpson Sr. Memorial Stakes.

--press release (PHHA/Pocono)--