Plainville, MA — The centers of energy were aligned for Chakra on Tuesday (April 21) as she turned in her best effort in two years while winning the $13,000 conditioned pacing headliner at Plainridge Park.
Sent off at 1-9, Chakra and driver Matty Athearn went right to the front and never looked back. With Perfect Smile GB (Nick Graffam) sitting second in tow, Chakra went splits of :27.3, :57.4 and 1:25.1, as only Delightville Diva (Cory Stratton) made any headway from behind.
Chakra continued to increase her lead as the field rounded the last turn. When she reached the stretch, Chakra was a loose winner by 6-1/4 lengths in 1:54, a seasonal mark.
Chakra ($2.10) is owned by her trainer, Mark Eaton, in partnership with Robert Griffin.
Athearn had a driving triple during the day as he also won with Quite Beachy ($36.40) and Lyon’s Shining ($6.40).
Later, in a $12,000 TrackMaster Rating pace, Gabe Hanover (Jay Randall) got away seventh and watched as Ranaldi (Drew Monti) and Odds On Lauderdale (Nick Graffam) battled to the half in :55.3. As the race entered the backstretch, Odds On Lauderdale faded, Clearwater Courage (Kevin Switzer Jr.) pulled from third to advance to second, and Gabe Hanover was activated from the back of the pack and flew into contention. Ranaldi was still in front as they turned for home, but the three-wide Gabe Hanover was on cruise control and blasted home the best by 2-1/2 lengths in 1:53.3.
Gabe Hanover ($25.40) is owned by Bradford Veilleux and trained by James Dunn.
Gabe Hanover was one of three wins posted by Randall on Tuesday. He also won with Wichita Lineman ($31.20), who gave Dunn a training double, and South Street Dottie ($7.40) to complete his hat trick.
Mile Graffam also had two wins on the conditioning side, tying him with Dunn for top daily honors in that category.
Racing resumes at Plainridge Park on Thursday (April 23) at 4 p.m.; there will be a $8,978 carryover in the Wicked Hi-5 in the sixth race.
Free full-card past performance programs and race replays for every live card of racing at Plainridge Park can always be downloaded at the track’s website.