Honesdale, PA — The Pennsylvania fair harness racing circuit journeyed to the northeast corner of the state this Wednesday and Thursday (Aug. 6-7) for two days of fair racing at the Wayne County Fair, where director of racing Jeff Firmstone and his board annually supplement the Pennsylvania Fair Sire Stakes racing with a free-for-all event on each gait.
The 2-year-olds started off the stakes action on Wednesday, and the star of the show was the Stay Hungry-Pueblo Blue Chip gelding Quill Gordon, who reduced his own fair season’s record for his group with a win in 2:00.2, which also just missed the Honesdale divisional standard of Captaincountrystar, set in 2022, by two-fifths of a second. Eric Neal, who steered home five winners on the day, guided Quill Gordon for trainer Mitchell York and co-owner Erin York.
On the fillies’ side, the Always B Miki-Zane Hanover miss Beachy’s Mistress was among the first 2-year-olds to three fair victories after a 2:04.4 triumph for trainer/driver Steve Schoeffel, who did double duty four times on the card, and owner Ryan Smith.
In freshman trot action, the Cantab Hall-BWT Maija filly Sueetta went faster than the colts with a 2:06.2 triumph for owners 518 Group LLC, Ryan Smith and John Schlabach as Steve Schoeffel swept both “A” events for the group. The males were led by the Greenshoe-Chezatter gelding Chuppah Hanover, whose 2:06.4 score brought his fair win total to three for the husband-wife team of driver Tony Schadel and trainer Linda Schadel; they are also co-owners with Elizabeth and James Schadel.
The $2,125 free-for-all pace also took place Wednesday, and in it the Sweet Lou gelding Leroy Gibbs withstood dogged pursuit by Oakwood Vegas IR to notch a 2:00.4 victory for driver Eric Neal and trainer Lou Goans, the latter co-owner with Laurie Stark.
The $2,100 free-for-all trot was raced as part of the Thursday card, when the stakes 3-year-olds raced, and Honesdale, Pa., resident Arthur Jones not only won the race with Beyond The Lens, but he also took home 75% of the purse as stablemates Al’s Spirit and Tailgate Buzz finished third and fourth.
The fastest clocking among the 3-year-olds, in a season where pacing distaffers have frequently gone faster than their male counterparts, was again posted by a female, the Tall Dark Stranger miss Skepticism, a 1:59.3 winner. But her speed is not unknown to her connections — driver Eric Neal, trainer Tom Loughry Jr. and owner Geraldine Poerio — as she has won in 1:53.3 at The Meadows. Skepticism ended the five-race unbeaten streak of last year’s divisional fair champion, Milagro.
Skepticism’s “A” male counterpart Bettor Not, a Captain Crunch colt, went in “only” 2:02, but he has four 2:00 miles on the circuit and is undefeated in six starts over the twice-arounds for trainer-driver Todd Schadel, who shares ownership with Christine Schadel.
The quickest trotter of the meet was 2024 fair champion Lionheart Hanover, a Greenshoe gelding who is six-for-seven at the fairs and won in 2:02.2 for Tony and Linda Schadel. Among the fillies, Todd and Christine Schadel took the honors with the International Moni filly Tally The Tab, this 2:02.4 victory being her fourth “A” fair win.
Eric Neal won the drivers’ crown at the Honesdale meet with eight victories; training honors were split three ways, with Tom Loughry Jr., Linda Schadel and Steve Schoeffel each harnessing four winners.
Having just bounced 317 miles cross-Pennsylvania from Wattsburg to Honesdale, the hardy Pennsylvania fair horsepeople go 340 miles to their next racing destination, the Washington County Fair, which was known as Arden Downs when it hosted Grand Circuit racing. The trotters and pacers will go to post on Sunday and Monday (Aug. 10-11), with post time at 10 a.m. each day. More information can be obtained at pafairsracing.org.