Plainville, MA — Resolve To Win shipped in to Massachusetts on Thursday (April 23) flaunting a total of three top-class wins between Mohegan Sun Pocono and the Meadowlands in his first eight starts this year, and then left the Commonwealth with another one after taking the $25,000 Open Handicap Trot at Plainridge Park in a gate-to-wire effort.
Bruce Ranger took no prisoners off the gate with Resolve To Win, who shot to the front, while A New Leader (driven by Mitchell Cushing) and Memorynimagination (Matty Athearn) settled in behind for the chase. Resolve To Win then rattled off fractions of :27.3, :56.3 and 1:25.1, with no challenges coming from behind to that point. As the race rounded the last bend, Resolve To Win was trotting with ease and entered the stretch the one to beat, and it was A New Leader who tried after tipping out and making a late charge. A New Leader closed to within a half length of the leader, but Resolve To Win held his ground and scored the victory in 1:54.
The 29th career win for Resolve To Win ($3.00) pushed his earnings over $400,000, who now boasts $404,296 in bank for owner Pollack Racing. Enrico Robinson trains the winner.
Earlier, in the $17,000 upper-level conditioned trot, Mocha Java (Jay Randall) took a similar path to victory after taking an immediate lead from post 1 and tripping the timers in :28, :57 and 1:26 while Balenciaga (Matty Athearn) sat on Randall’s helmet the entire way. At the top of the stretch, Balenciaga pulled and drew a bead on Mocha Java while trotting up a storm. Balenciaga gained ground with every stride, but in the end not enough to win as Mocha Java hung on by a neck in 1:54.3.
It was the second straight win for Mocha Java ($4.00), who is owned by Harmon Racing and trained by Rob Harmon.
Drivers Matty Athearn and Jay Randall and trainers Rob Harmon and Enrico Robinson all registered two wins apiece on Thursday.
Racing at Plainridge Park resumes on Monday (April 27) at 4 p.m.; there will be a $10,528 carryover in the Wicked Hi-5 in the sixth race.
Free full-card past performance programs and replays for every live card of racing at Plainridge Park can always be downloaded at the track’s website.