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

Hughesville, PA — The national newspaper USA Today runs a feature in its upper left-hand corner of the sports section called “Names You Need To Know.”

After Thursday’s (July 17) conclusion of the two-day harness meet at the Lycoming County Fairgrounds in Hughesville, Pa., our modification of this “header” is “A Name and a Number You Need to Know.”

The number is “2:00.3.” The name is “Shaw.”

The 2:00.3 is the fastest time recorded at the six stops to date on the 2014 Pennsylvania fair tour. It was first achieved last Sunday by Mister Chaos, a 3-year-old Art Official gelding trained by Bob Rougeaux III for owners D&P Racing LLC. Mister Chaos then came back three days later, during Wednesday’s sophomore action at Hughesville, and equaled his season standard for Rougeaux and D&P.

Then a third 2:00.3 appeared, unexpectedly, on Thursday, during 2-year-old action. Marshmallow Pulse, a Quik Pulse Mindale colt out of the mare Marshamarshamarsha overcame the outside post, brushing from last after the :30 quarter to the lead in 1:00.1 en route to clockings of 1:30 and the prized 2:00.3. Marshmallow Pulse now has four wins and two seconds in six starts.

The name Shaw? Well, we can start with Marshmallow Pulse’s driver, Chris Shaw. Chris also happens to have been the driver of Mister Chaos in his two miles of 2:00.3.

But there are many more Shaws. Marshmallow Pulse is trained by Chris’s brother Jason, and the precocious freshman is owned by Jason’s son Mason — who is now the same age as Marshmallow Pulse!

In all, Shaw/Shaw/Shaw had five wins over the two days at Hughesville.

Another of the five winners was another impressive freshman, Tropical Terror, who became the only horse to win at each of the six Pennsylvania fairs to date when she triumphed Thursday in 2:03.1-1:00. A daughter of Western Terror, Tropical Terror is tied as the winningest freshman in all of North America and her 2:01 at Gratz had been the local marker for 2-year-olds of either sex until Marshmallow Pulse eclipsed her in the 26th and final race of the two-day session.

In all, Chris Shaw had seven wins in the two days, bringing him within range of last year’s fair champion (and a North American UDR leader in 2013) Steve Schoeffel, who “only” had four wins, with Schoeffel now having a 38-36 advantage (remember, after only 12 cards of racing). Schoeffel’s four sulky triumphs were all from his own barn, so Jason Shaw’s five wins now makes the trainers’ score Team Shaw 26, Team Schoeffel 24.

From a breeding standpoint, Schoeffel’s most interesting horse would be the freshman trotting colt Chiney Babco, who racked up his fifth straight win on Thursday. Chiney Babco is interesting because he is a Shark Gesture colt out of an Artsplace mare. Schoeffel reported that he couldn’t get the horse to pace all winter, but he showed an inclination to trot, and with a quintet of victories and more than $13,000 on his card already, Schoeffel showed his good judgment and horsemanship with that “conversion.”

Finishing Lines: The fair circuit in PA now moves southwest to Bedford for Monday and Tuesday racing beginning at 11 a.m. Last year Bedford rejoined the circuit for the first time in 23 years, and this year it is hoped they get both cards in, instead of having one washed out, as happened in 2013.