The Pennsylvania fair harness racing circuit journeyed to the northeast corner of the state this Wednesday and Thursday for two days of fair racing at the Wayne County Fair in this borough, where hard-working Director Of Racing Jeff Firmstone and his Board supplement the PA Fair Sire Stakes (PAFSS) racing with a free-for-all event on each gait annually.

The two-year-olds started off the PAFSS 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 a rookie pacing colt with a win in 2:00.2, which also just missed the Honesdale divisional standard of Captaincountrystar, set in 2022, by two ticks. Eric Neal, who steered home five winners on the day, guided Quill Gordon for trainer Mitchell York, who co-owns the gelding with Erin York.

On the filly side, the Always B Miki-Zane Hanover miss Beachys Mistress was among the first two-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 division. The males were led by the Greenshoe-Chezatter gelding Chuppah Hanover, whose 2:06.4 score brought his fair win total to three for driver Tony Schadel and trainer Linda Schadel; they are also co-owners with Elizabeth and James Schadel.

The $2,951 Free-For-All Pace also took place Wednesday, and in it the Sweet Lou-Tonightimlovingyou gelding Leroy Gibbs withstood dogged pursuit by Oakwood Vegas Ir (Cher Beaudin) to notch a 2:00.4 victory for driver Eric Neal and trainer Lou Goans, the latter of which co-owns the gelding with Laurie Stark.

The $2,917 Free-For-All Trot was raced as part of the Thursday card, when the stakes three-year-olds raced, and Honesdale resident Arthur Jones not only won the race with Beyond The Lens, but he also took home 70 per cent of the purse as stablemates of Beyond The Lens which Jones owns finished third and fourth. Beyond The Lens, a son of Angus Hall-Candidcamerakosmos, completed the mile in 2:09.3.

The fastest clocking among the three-year-olds, in a season where pacing distaffs have frequently gone faster than their male counterparts, was again posted by a filly, the Tall Dark Stranger-Sansovina Hanover 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 previously won in 1:53.3 at The Meadows. Here, Skepticism ended the five-race unbeaten streak of last year’s divisional fair champion Milagro.

Skepticism’s “A” colt counterpart Bettor Not, a Captain Crunch-Bettorhaveanother colt, went in “only” 2:02, but he has four 2:00-or-better miles on the circuit. He is undefeated in six starts over the twicearounds for trainer-driver Todd Schadel, who co-owns him with Christine Schadel.

The quickest trotter of the meet was 2024 Fair Champion Lionheart Hanover, a Greenshoe-Lady Riviera gelding, who sports a 7-6-1-0 tally at the fairs and here won in 2:02.2 for Tony and Linda Schadel. Among the fillies, it was Todd and Christine Schadel taking the honours with the International Moni-Cantab Cabela filly Tally The Tab, this 2:02.4 victory being her fourth “A” fair win of the year.

Eric Neal won the drivers' crown at the Honesdale meet with eight victories; training honours were split three ways, with Tom Loughry Jr., Linda Schadel, and Steve Schoeffel each training four winners.

Having just bounced 317 miles across Pennsylvania from Wattsburg to Honesdale, the hardy Pennsylvania fair horsemen now must 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 gateward on Sunday and Monday, with post time at 10 a.m. each day.

(Meadows Standardbred Owners Association, Pennsylvania Harness Horsemen’s Association, and Pennsylvania Fair Harness Horsemen’s Association)