from the PA Fair Harness Horsemen’s Assn. Publicity Dept.

Honesdale PA — Hurricane Shaw blew through this northeastern Pennsylvania city this past Sunday and Monday during the fair harness racing meet, offering $100,000 in purse money, at the Wayne County Fairgrounds here, but the prize that they probably wanted the most eluded them, instead going to the horse that figured to be the one to beat.

“Hurricane Shaw” here refers to an owner, 2-year-old Mason Shaw, who before lunchtime Sunday, 3-year-old day, saw his horse earn more than $9,500 and had his stable go 8-5-3-0 over the two days; his father, trainer Jason Shaw (who also trains, quite successfully, for the accounts of other owners), who won five times during the meet; and his uncle, driver Chris, who had six visits to Victory Lane. Chris now sports a 51-48 edge in driving triumphs over Steve Schoeffel, who will wait for fair action to return to his western Pennsylvania part of the state, at Waynesburg; Jason now has a 38-31 edge over the Schoeffel barn on the conditioning side.

The win that they probably most wanted, though, was with Tropical Terror in a division of the 2-year-old Fair Sire Stakes filly pace. Tropical Terror, a daughter of Western Terror, had been the only horse in any division to go eight-for-eight at the first eight 2014 PA Fair stops, and the Shaws were of course hoping for number nine.

But victory number eight had been in a dead-heat with Keystone I Wish at Clearfield last week, and this filly had shown her talent with a 2:00 score at Gratz earlier. And it was Keystone I Wish who got the nod when the two squared off at Honesdale, in 2:02.4 (just two-fifths off the fastest mile of the meet, which was recorded by the 3-year-old pacing filly La Fiesta, who closed in :28.2 for the team of guess who). But Tropical Terror was gallant in defeat, making up 6-1/2 lengths on her rival from the half, only to come up a half-length shy of the Art Official filly Keystone I Wish, trained and driven by Todd Schadel and owned by Todd and wife Christine. The clocking was also only a tick off the local divisional standard set by Car-Lin’s Stardurst in 2003.

Fastest trot of the meet was a 2:06.4 triumph turned in by the Pistols N Spurs gelding Must Be A Pistol, owned by Michael Brocklehurst, in a division of the FSS 3-year-old colt trot. The race was notable for two reasons: Faust, who had just rewritten the Bedford trot mark to 2:00.4, made a break with a four length lead coming into the stretch and it was the first drive at Honesdale for trainer/driver Harold Brocklehurst in at least 22 years, the furthest-back the USTA records go, and possibly his first-ever trip behind the gate there.

The Shaw clan will hope for their luck to continue at the Honesdale two-day meet, which will begin Wednesday. Pennsylvania Fair racing will also be conducted on Thursday, 358 miles to the southwest, at the Greene County fair in Waynesburg, which will also race on Friday. The three meets within the six-day period will find some $290,000 in purses offered to the cream of the Keystone twicearound circuit.