Hammer wins 4,000th race at The Meadows
Roger Hammer notched career driving win 4,000 Monday at The Meadows when he piloted Joevidal to victory in the sixth race.
Hammer’s involvement in harness racing, which extends more than six decades, began when he was 6 and started helping his father, the late Clay Hammer, as the elder Hammer plied the Pennsylvania and Ohio fair circuits. Young Roger was 16 when he drove his first horse.
With that steady supply of capable young horses, Hammer began to roll up eye-popping numbers.
He’s an eight-time North American UDR champion and his UDR exceeded .300 for a remarkable 26 straight years.
On Sept. 9, 2003, he drove 11 winners at the York Fair; only Bruce Ranger (13 victories at Pompano Park in 2009) has collected more wins on a single program.
But Hammer’s reputation as “King of the Fairs” underwent serious revision in 2005, when he drove the gelding Vivid Photo to a stunning victory in the Hambletonian.
Hammer operates his farm in Bedford, driving only at The Meadows.