Author: by Jay Wolf, publicity director, Little Brown Jug

Monday (April 10) marked opening day at Plainridge Park, and a large crowd was on hand trackside to welcome harness racing back to Massachusetts.

Louis Tomczak Jr.’s Proper One has a good record on opening night at Harrington Raceway, winning for the second straight year on the track’s opening night (Monday, April 10). His 1:55.1 triumph kicked off the southern Delaware raceway’s 77th season of harness racing in the first of 14 races on the program.

The Monday (April 10) card at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania featured five divisions each of two ongoing series: the first preliminary of the Bobby Weiss Series for 3-year-old pacing fillies, and the second preliminary round of the Game Of Claims Pacing Series for horses who raced with a base tag of $12,500.

Yonkers invader Topville Somrocket did not have an easy journey but still proved the best in the $13,500 featured pace Thursday (April 6) at Harrah’s Philadelphia, winning in 1:51.4.

Velocity Lady, in just her third seasonal start, captured the $27,000 Mares Open at Miami Valley on Thursday (April 6). An 8-time winner in 2022, the 6-year-old daughter of Bettor’s Delight missed her career best by just two-fifths of a second, winning in 1:50.1.

Northville Downs kicks off their 2023 meet this weekend, with live racing on Friday (April 7) and Saturday (April 8).

Driver Jim Pantaleano won three of Tuesday’s (April 4) five $20,000 first-round divisions of the Game Of Claims Series for $25,000 trotters — two of them trained by Scott Betts — at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania.