Plainville, MA — Following fast early fractions, Hey Porter did his best work late and won the $25,000 Open Trot at Plainridge Park on Tuesday (June 30).
Hey Porter (Brett Beckwith) got away fourth as Pepper Wow (Mitchell Cushing) stepped sharply in :26.3 and :55.1 over the rain-soaked surface. As the race moved onto the backstretch, the outer flow formed and the action began to pick up.
Beckwith pushed Hey Porter into the breeze first-over and provided Spaaaanzano (Drew Monti) a draft to follow. As the group passed three-quarters in 1:23.3, Hey Porter and Spaaaanzano drew alongside Pepper Wow and eventually went on by. Hey Porter was the new leader at the top of the stretch, but Spaaaanzano was outside of him and trotting with authority. The pair battled to the line where Hey Porter hung on to the lead by a neck and won in 1:53.1, matching his seasonal best.
It was the 10th lifetime win in only 33 lifetime starts for the 4-year-old Hey Porter ($3.40), who is owned by Pollack Racing and trained by Enrico Robinson.
Earlier, in the secondary featured $22,500 Open II Trot, Ponda Rocky (Mitchell Cushing) blasted to the front and parked Unhinged (Bruce Ranger) past the :27 quarter. Unhinged finally cleared and took the lead and reached the half in :55.3.
That’s where Ponda Rocky came right back with a quick rush to take back the top before quickly being engaged by Lefties Righties (Brett Beckwith), who was loosely followed by Chapheart (Nick Graffam), who had pulled from fourth. Ponda Rocky kept the lead around the turn and into the stretch, where Chapheart moved clear of Lefties Righties and ran down Ponda Rocky to win by 2-1/2 lengths in 1:53.2.
It was the fifth win of the year for Chapheart ($9.20), who is owned by Howard Jacobs and trained by Cory Stratton.
Brett Beckwith led all drivers on Tuesday with three wins, two of which were for trainer Paul Kelley, who ended the afternoon as the top trainer.
It was a great day for 3-year-old Massachusetts-bred trotters on Tuesday, as four of them scored during the program. Brewster Baker (1:55.4, $6.20), Geologic (1:53.4, $2.60), Cash Out Express (1:55.1, $2.80) and Adios My Lindy (1:55.1, $3) all won and all will be back competing later this year in the $3.2 million Massachusetts Breeders Stakes, which starts on Sept. 28.
Thursday’s card of racing at Plainridge has been canceled due to the forecast high temperatures and heat indices.
Racing will resume at Plainridge Park on Monday (July 6) at 4 p.m. Free full-card past performance programs and replays for every card of racing at Plainridge Park are available at plainridgeparkcasino.com.