Plainville, MA — A pair of pacing Opens valued at $25,000 each were the highlight of the afternoon at Plainridge Park on Monday (Sept. 22) and strong performances were put in by each winner.
First in the Open Handicap for fillies and mares, Always Bstunning N (Kevin Switzer Jr.) took a deliberate overland route as Turn The Page (Ron Cushing) and Millwood Bliss N (Brett Beckwith) took turns on the point. As they passed the quarter in :26.2, the early shuffle had settled and Always Bstunning N then passed them both to control the pace from there.
After reaching the half in :54.3, Always Bstunning N was greeted by Intothemysticmoon (Nick Graffam), who made a strong outside rush up the backstretch and drew near the leader at three-quarters. The field began to bunch around the final turn but in the stretch, Always Bstunning N turned back all challengers to win by 1-3/4 lengths in 1:50.1.
It was the eighth win of the year for Always Bstunning N ($2.80) who is owned by Richard Poillucci and trained by Gretchen Athearn.
Then later in the Open Handicap for male pacers, Two Fold Cold (David Ingraham) got away eighth and last as Fourever Boy (Brett Beckwith) made his way to the front passing the :26.3 quarter. Fourever Boy continued to lead to the half where Ahi Sunshine (Bruce Ranger) blitzed on the outside and took a quick lead, that soon became a two-length gap at three-quarters.
At this point, Two Fold Cold was still sixth, third-over on the outside in an outer-flow led by Tenzing Bromac N (Ron Cushing), who was closing in on the leader. When the race entered the stretch, Tenzing Bromac N paced by the fading Ahi Sunshine, but Two Fold Cold was now third in the middle of the stretch and flying towards the line. Tenzing Bromac N dug in, but Two Fold Cold paced right on by and won by a quarter length in 1:50.1, that included a :27.3 kicker by the winner.
Two Fold Cold ($6.60) went over the century mark for earnings this year, now showing $100,705 on his card for owner Marc Tardif and trainer Kelly Case.
Massachusetts-bred stars shone brightly at Plainridge Park
The $2.4 million (est.) Massachusetts Breeders Stakes begins next Monday (Sept. 29) at Plainridge Park and many eligible 2 and 3-year-old state-bred prospects got their final work in on Monday and six in particular were in winning form.
There were two $20,000 divisions of the Romper Room series for 2-year-old pacers and they were won by the colt Manador (Jimmy Whittemore/Melissa Beckwith 1:55.2, NB) and the filly Bettor’s Gold (Nick Graffam/Mike Graffam 1:56.2, $17.20).
Then the 3-year-olds took to the track with four more Mass-bred winners joining the fray.
In the $20,000 conditioned pace, the gelding Southpaw (Jimmy Whittemore/Jimmy Whittemore 1:51.3, $18.00) took a new lifetime mark.
In the $20,000 conditioned trot, the filly Corner Store (Brett Beckwith/Paul Kelley 1:55.1, $2.60) remained unbeaten at Plainridge with her third win there.
In the $15,000 conditioned trot, the trotting filly Peach Cocktail (Matty Athearn/Gretchen Athearn 1:56.4, $3.40) scored her fourth consecutive win.
And in the $12,500 conditioned trot, the gelding Our Father Lindy (David Ingraham/Zach Gray 1:59, $6.20) scored his second win of the year.
Nick Graffam was the leading reinsman on Monday with three wins to his credit while Gretchen Athearn was the top trainer, sending two winners to post.
There was a huge payout in the Wicked Hi-5 pentafecta wager in the sixth race. The single unique combination of 3-7-9-1-5 returned $8,265.34.
Live racing will resume at Plainridge Park on Tuesday (Sept. 23) at 2 p.m. with a $292 carryover in the Wicked Hi-5 wager in race six.
Free full past performance programs and race replays for all live racing days at Plainridge Park can be found at plainridgeparkcasino.com.