The annual Pennsylvania Fair Harness Racing awards banquet was held on Saturday (January 14) in this southwest Pennsylvania town of Bedford, with the top performers receiving awards and generous sponsors continuing to make this PA Fair banquet one of the best values in harness racing (ticket price = $40; value of door prizes divided by number of attendees = $65) through the hard work of the Pennsylvania Harness Horsemen’s Association and the Meadows Standardbred Owners Association.
Shawn Johnston, a 24-year-old driver who had posted 30 victories in limited chances during his first six years of driving, showed rapid development this summer with 37 sulky triumphs to rank fourth on the fair circuit, earning the second Walter “Boots” Dunn Memorial Rising Star Award. Boots had presented the first Rising Star Award to Brady Brown in one of his last public appearances before his passing early in 2016; this year, Brown and Boots’s daughter Lisa Dunn conferred the honour to Johnston.
“Boots was someone around here always admired,” Johnston noted. “And he drove horses for my grandparents. When we would talk, he might say something about learning driving – ‘Be more patient with a trotter’ – but we also talked about the horses he remembered driving for my grandparents.”
The PA Fair Circuit’s “Blues Brothers,” driver Chris and trainer Jason Shaw (so named because of their colours), earned the Top Gun Awards during the 2016 fair season, as Chris posted 65 sulky victories and Jason harnessed 57 winner's circle visitors to lead their fellow horsemen in the winning column.
Also honoured were the divisional point-winners during the 20-stop fair circuit, and those horses who visited Victory Lane after winning in October 8’s PA Fair Sire Stakes Championship at The Meadows:
POINT-WINNERS
2TC – Toolbox Tuesday, owned by Roger Hammer and Vicki Fair
2TF – No Not Yet, owned by Dr. William Solomon
2PC – Marvalous Artist, Roger Hammer and Vicki Fair
2PF – Camera Lady, owned by Dave Brickell and Mitchell York (the top point-winner in all classes)
3TC – Major Matter, owned by Rick and Regina Beinhauer
3TF – A Little Laid Back, owned by Roger Hammer (won her point championship at two and three)
3PC – Star Of Terror, owned by Fortunate One LLC
3PF – Unbeamlieveable, owned by Mason Shaw during the fair season (top point-winner of two and three)
CHAMPIONSHIP WINNERS
2TC – Photo Bomber, owned by Tony and Linda Schadel
2TF – All Set Lets Go, owned by the McMullen Stable LLC
2PC – Cruiserwillwin, owned by Todd and Christine Schadel
2PF – Gemalous, owned by Mason Shaw
3TC – Shady McCoy, owned by Dave and Delores Wade
3TF – Waterview Hanover, owned by Susan Daugherty (only the third fair filly to win both of her Championships in the 20-year history of the Fair Finals, following trotter Rosebud Sioux in 2004-2005 and pacer Big City Hanover in 2006-2007)
3PC – Captain Dinger, owned by James Dodson and Ron Lineweaver
3PF – Unbeamlieveable, sold to Burke Racing / Weaver Bruscemi LLC before the Championship (the only 2016 point champion to also win the divisional Championship.)
(PHHA)