Meyersdale, PA — The second-to-last stop of the 2026 Pennsylvania Fair circuit was held at the Somerset County Fairgrounds in this borough located in southwestern Pennsylvania. The Saturday (Sept. 19) card for 2-year-olds will be remembered as “the Miracle of Meyersdale,” as the dedicated local track crew talked with the horsemen about a tricky surface and picked a plan of action which resulted, after a 78-minute delay, in three Meyersdale divisional track records and three 2:00 miles.
But unfortunately, the Sunday sophomore program may be remembered as “the Monsoon at Meyersdale,” as skies which had started to spit near the end of Saturday’s card poured forth with a torrent of night rain which caused the cancellation of the card.
The Saturday racing for freshmen highlighted several horses who are expected to be prime Championship contenders. The intersection of “track record” and “2:00 mile” was the Stay Hungry – Pleasant Roll pacing filly Honey Roll, who finished strongly in a mile with back fractions of :57.3 – :28.3 to post a 1:59.3 clocking, knocking almost two seconds off the 2020 local mark of Tiamogonedancen. Honey Roll, who had set the division’s fair seasonal record of 1:59 in her last start at Gratz, now has five wins at the “A” level. She was driven Saturday by Todd Schadel for trainer Sam Beegle and Bay Pond Racing Stable.
The other two Meyersdale standards came on the trot. Todd Schadel’s brother, Tony, and sister-in-law, Linda, are the owners, and driver and trainer respectively, of Custom Order, a Greenshoe – Accustom ridgling who won in 2:01.3, wiping out the 2025 2:03.2 record of Green Shades (ironically, a member of Team Beegle).
The Father Patrick – Bar Bar filly Sister Saloon lowered the filly record to 2:02 while winning for driver Chris Shaw, trainer Ashley Brown, and owners Sandy Petersen and Alexa Shaw – exactly the same team behind PA Patricia, the former track recordholder and a possible Fair Champion repeater. There have been 11 divisional track records set on the fair trail this season.
Sister Saloon’s “A” fair record is now an exceptional 9-8-1-0 – and the same as that of Western Twister, a daughter of Father Patrick – Wind Of The West, who won in 2:04 – :29 for driver Eric Neal, trainer Tom Loughry Jr., and Brocious Racing Stable Inc. There should be quite a showdown between these two, whose eight win totals are at the top of all the divisions at the fairs this year, in their Championship.
An oddity at the PA Fairs this year is that there have been 36 miles in 2:00 or faster. No horse has more than two of them, but there are nine double magic milers in all – including the three babies who added their names to this list for the second time on Saturday. We have mentioned filly Honey Roll before – both “A” colt pace winners also have a pair of 2:00 miles. The faster was the Captain Crunch – Fast Machine gelding Fast Crunch, who won here in 1:58.3 for his fourth straight victory for trainer/driver Steven Walters and owner David Bellantonio.
Kurt may have gone in “only” 2:00 in the other section, but his last quarter was :28 under the guidance of Aaron Johnston, he is undefeated in six fair outings, and he also has a pari-mutuel Stallion Series victory on his card. He’ll have a say in his Championship for trainer Bill Daugherty Jr. and owner Stephan Brochu.
No horsemen had more than two winners during the abbreviated meet: doubling drivers were Aaron Johnson, Eric Neal, Tony Schadel, and Todd Schadel; trainers with two horses from their shedrow included Tom Loughry Jr. and Todd Schadel.
And so the Pennsylvania Fair Circuit heads 208 miles northeast to its final stop of 2026, the Bloomsburg Fair, where with luck 2-year-olds will race Friday, 3-year-olds Saturday, and deserving horses will get their final chance to earn a spot in the $200,000 Pennsylvania Fair Sire Stakes Championship on Oct. 9 at The Meadows. The two Bloomsburg cards will be drawn on Wednesday (Sept. 23).