from the PA Fair Harness Horsemen’s Association
Clearfield PA — Team Shaw reignedon the final day (Wednesday, Aug 3)) of the four-day meeting at the ClearfieldCounty (PA) Fairgrounds, with brothers Chris (driver) and Jason (trainer)combining on six winners during the 11-race card, and Jason’s son Mason, theTeam’s principal owner, having a hand in four of the winners – or one for everyyear of his existence. On a day devoted to 3-year-old pacers, Chris and Jasonwon half of the two Quaker State events and half of the four colt Sire Stakescontests, while taking down three of five Sires features for the fillies.
The “Star” of the season so far for theShaws has been Star Of Terror, a Western Terror gelding owned by Fortunate OneLLC, who on Wednesday rewrote a track record that stretched back a good manyyears, with his 1:59 victory knocking two-fifths of a second off the formermark shared by Shu Hanover (2004), Real Hanover (2005, 11 years ago to theday), and Lahaye (2009). The swift mile was his third 2:00 performance on thePA fair circuit, tops so far in 2016, and the track record for his sophomorepacing colt division was his second (the other included equaling the all-agerecord at Butler, 2:00.2), tying him with three other horses who also haveposted a pair of new standards at the Keystone twice-a-rounds.
Another magic mile was posted by theShaws’ filly Unbeamlieveable, who last year won 13 times, all at the fairs, tolead all North American freshman pacing fillies in victories. The daughter ofMoon Beam came back to the races earlier in 2016 and posted decent results, buther summer has improved markedly since Fair Time rolled around, as she now hasa 6-4-2-0 record in 2016 along the fair circuit after winning in 1:59.2 for thebrothers and Jason’s son/owner Mason, who has built a huge college fund that hewill start using in about 14 years.
The sextet of victories on Wednesday(nobody else had more than one) vaulted the Shaws to honors for the meet, withChris winning the Buster DiSalvo trophy by winning eight times, seven timeswith trainees of Jason’s to put his brother on top of his column.
The Pennsylvania Fair Circuit nowhas a “split week,” at two venues 359 miles apart. The Wayne County Fair at theHonesdale Fair Grounds, in the northeast corner of the state, will race fourcards, two under their “special 2-day Sire Stakes meet” tag Saturday andSunday, and then two for the “fair meet” on Tuesday and Wednesday. Those lattertwo dates will also feature harness racing at the Greene County Fairgrounds inWaynesburg PA, hometown of Dave Palone and in the southwest corner of the state.