Author: By Tim Bojarski for the Standardbred Owners of Massachusetts

The $2.4 million Massachusetts Breeders Stakes kicked off at Plainridge Park on Monday (Sept. 29) and featured 2-year-old state-breds of both gaits and genders.

There were a pair of $17,500 contests, one on each gait, for horses making strides up the class ladder at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania during the Monday afternoon (Sept. 29) card.

What A Mission (Michael Miller) captures the featured $7,500 trot at Vernon Downs on Friday (Sept. 26).

On a somewhat homogenous card consisting of lower rated Trackmaster races, Matty “Ice” Athearn and “The Legend”, Bruce Ranger, were the real masters on the track after they both registered driving hat tricks during the afternoon (Sept. 26), accounting for 66% of the wins on the nine-race program.

The 3-year-old filly Asphalt took on older foes in the $14,000 fast-class handicap pace for pacing females on Friday afternoon (Sept. 26) at Harrah’s Philadelphia, and although taking a while to gain command, the daughter of Papi Rob Hanover left no doubt of her superiority with a 1:50.3 victory.

Richard Ashley and Michael Cain’s Steven’s Saloon ($13.80, Jason Thompson) was a 1:52.1 winner in the $18,000 Open Pace Monday (Sept. 22) at Harrington Raceway.

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.

Here is this week’s Meadows Monday Memo: