Plainville, MA – The racing product at Plainridge Park has improved exponentially in recent years and has gotten to a point where those who race there will tell you, it’s not easy to win at The Ridge. And that statement is not merely hearsay as there are many statistics to back that claim, starting with the most important one: percentage of winning favorites.
Through the completion of racing on Monday (July 28), Plainridge Park boasts the lowest percentage of winning favorites among all tracks currently holding extended pari-mutuel meets in the U.S. with only 41.2% of winning chalk as we draw near the halfway point of the meet. And with the exception of only a couple tracks, (the Meadowlands being one as they sit a very close second with 41.4% winning favorites) Plainridge is trending as a favorable place to play for bettors by a solid margin.
The quality of overnight horses racing at Plainridge has been on a steady incline for some time, but this year seems to have hit a new level. New England horsemen and horsewomen have been re-investing in the business and that is showing. Plus some stables from outside the Commonwealth have been showing up and the result of that is simply fierce competition.
On Monday when the best male pacers hit the strip, not much separated a mid-level condition event from the Open. A non-winners of $7,500 went in 1:49.4, non-winners of $10,000 went 1:49, non-winners of $12,500 went 1:49.2 and the Open was clocked in 1:49.1. And three out of four of those winners returned $50.00, $15.80 and $34.20 as the off-time favorites finished eighth, third and third, respectively, in those races. And as has been seen in many cases all year, these solid win prices have driven up the gimmick payouts across the board as well.
Here is a complete list of tracks and their percent of winning favorites. Please note Batavia Downs and The Red Mile are not included in these numbers as their meets have just recently gotten underway and provide only a small sampling of results.
Plainridge: 41.2%, Meadowlands: 41.4%, Buffalo: 43.6%, Vernon: 44.5%, Yonkers: 46.7%, Pocono: 47.2%, Running Aces: 47%, Scioto: 47.2%, Harrah’s Hoosier: 47.5%, Northfield: 47.7%, Saratoga: 48.3%, Bangor: 48.6%, Meadows: 49%, Cumberland: 49.1%, Monticello: 49.4%, Harrah’s Philly: 50.1%, Tioga: 50.1% and Ocean Downs: 56.7%.
Another indicator of how tough it is to win at Plainridge this year is the competition between the drivers and trainers. Those standings illustrate very well that there are no runaway leaders in either category.
The race for leading dash driver is unprecedented at Plainridge this year as the top six drivers are only separated by 16 wins with a relatively close number of starts among the group.
Nick Graffam is the current leader with 63 wins followed by Brett Beckwith (56), Mitchell Cushing (55), Matty Athearn (51), Bruce Ranger (51) and Kevin Switzer Jr. (47). Plus a total of 61 drivers have competed here so far this year, which is the largest pool of competitors to date.
On the training side, only 13 wins separate the top 11 conditioners who compete regularly at Plainridge and with four months left in the meet, this title is available to anyone on that short list.
At the end of business Monday, Gretchen Athearn is the top trainer with 26 wins. But right behind her are Jimmy Nickerson (25) and Domenico Cecere (24). Then after a short six-win gap, Randy Bickmore (18), Jackie Greene (17), Julia Eaton (15), Mark Eaton (15), Melissa Beckwith (14), Jolene Andrews (13), Jeff Cullipher (13) and Mike Graffam (13) are only five wins apart from each other and are all still in play for the top spot. Plus an unprecedented 159 trainers have sent horses postward at The Ridge to this point in 2025.
As the meet winds its way through the heat of the summer, racing action in the second half of the season promises to stay hot even as the weather may cool down when the Massachusetts Breeders Stake gets underway on Monday, Sept. 29 and brings with it a new wave of competing horses, drivers and trainers and more opportunities for bettors to take advantage of big payouts at “The track near the Cape”, Plainridge Park.