by Charlene Sharpe, USTA Web Newsroom Senior Correspondent

Charlene Sharpe

Seaford, DE — In September 2015, Leonard “Buddy” Jones III and Kevin Fitzgerald were thrilled when the auctioneer called “Sold!” after their $1,400 bid for one of the horses going through the Chick’s Sale ring.

“We liked the way he looked,” Fitzgerald explained. “Did we know what we were looking at? No. We didn’t have a clue what we were buying.”

He’s not exaggerating. Three weeks before the sale, the idea of owning a racehorse hadn’t crossed either of their minds. Jones, however, received a call from a coach who wanted his daughter to join a particular softball team. Jones agreed to meet with him to talk it over.

“I met him at Ocean Downs and we were betting on the horses,” Jones said. “He had horses. He told me there was more money on that end than betting on it.”

In his final year on the track, Walton Shaw A has won five races and earned just under $20,000.

That was all the encouragement it took for Jones to rally the support of Fitzgerald and head for the September 2015 Chick’s Sale in Harrington, Del. Lucky for them, the horse they happened to bid on was Walton Shaw A (2002, p,10,1:53.1h, $301,884). Though he was nearing the end of a winless season, Walton Shaw A had what they lacked — experience.

“Everybody said he was classy,” Fitzgerald said.

The 14-year-old pacer proved it to them in 2016, winning five races and earning just under $20,000 for Fitzgerald and Jones under the guidance of conditioner Jay Shores this year.

Though they initially sent Walton Shaw A to a trainer in Delaware, as that’s where he’d been racing before the sale, Jones and Fitzgerald quickly realized they wanted to be hands-on owners.

“It was too far away for us to go and see our horse,” Jones said.

It was just a matter of weeks before they moved the pacer to a training center in Salisbury, Md., a short drive from both of their homes. Walton Shaw A earned a few checks at Rosecroft Raceway before the track closed in December.

When the five-eighths-mile oval reopened in March, Walton Shaw A proved all he’d needed was some time off. Jones and Fitzgerald made their first trip to the winner’s circle March 8 after Walton Shaw A made a huge three-wide move from the back of the pack to win easily by five lengths in 1:56.1.

The older pacer continued to earn checks just about every week for his eager owners before earning a second victory May 3 in a $5,000 claiming race. He again came from behind to make a big move at the three-quarter pole, drawing off to win by more than seven lengths in 1:55.

In June, Jones and Fitzgerald excitedly began racing Walton Shaw A at their local track, Ocean Downs. Classified as a C-2 pacer, Walton Shaw A put in a game effort every week but faced some stiff competition. His owners were pleased to see him drop down to the C-3 level in July. After a solid third-place finish July 22, driver Roger Plante Jr. put Walton Shaw A right on the front the following week. He stayed there, winning by nearly a length in 1:57.

“We were tickled,” Fitgerald said.

Nevertheless, he and Jones didn’t have high hopes the following week when Walton Shaw A was moved back up to the C-2 level. The pacer surprised them though, coming first over to win by 1-3/4 lengths in 1:56.1.

“I didn’t expect him to win,” Fitzgerald recalled. “He went off at 22-1.”

Walton Shaw A returned to Rosecroft this fall and earned his 44th lifetime win Nov. 1, coming from behind as he so often does to win in 1:55.2 for Plante. He’s earned a second and third since, and his connections are hoping to race him once more before he retires.

Charlene Sharpe photos

Walton Shaw A has won 44 times in his career, with earnings of $301,844.

They credit Walton Shaw A’s success with getting them hooked on harness racing. They’ve already got two other horses and can be found at the barn more often than not. Fitzgerald, a school bus driver and mechanic who’d never interacted with horses, says he never pictured himself working with the animals.

“I never thought I’d be into the horse thing,” he said, “but I really enjoy it.”

He says other horsemen have proven helpful, providing pointers and advice when needed. He also credits Walton Shaw A with being the perfect first horse.

“He made it look easy,” Fitzgerald said, adding that even when the horse got loose at the farm he went right to his stall.

And while the potential purses might have sparked Jones’ initial interest in harness racing, you wouldn’t know it listening to him now. When asked what he considers Walton Shaw A’s best race, it’s not one of the horse’s wins he mentions.

“I thought it was when he went in 1:53 and finished eighth at Rosecroft,” Jones said. “That is impressive for a 14-year-old horse.”

Though sorry to see his career coming to an end, Jones and Fitzgerald know they have Walton Shaw A to thank for getting to experience the thrill of harness racing. They say they have no plans of parting with the old pacer.

“He’s the family pet,” Fitzgerald said.