by Joe Hartmann, for Plainridge Racecourse

PLAINVILLE, MA – Thunder Storm, a nine-year-old gelded pacer owned by Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling, is the 5/2 morning line favorite Monday afternoon in the featured $7,000 Open Handicap Pace at Plainridge Racecourse. Trained and driven by John Podres, son of former major league pitcher Johnny Podres, Thunder Storm makes his Plainridge debut off an impressive 1:57.2 in his last start in a conditional event at Saratoga, August 21.

It was the fourth win of the season Thunder Storm, who eclipsed the $200,000 mark in career earnings with his Saratoga triumph. He has a seasonal mark of 1:53.1 over the half mile surface at Chicago’s Maywood Raceway and a lifetime mark of 1:54.1, set as a seven year old at Illinois’ Balmoral Park.

The complete field for Monday’s Open Handicap Pace includes, in post position order with lifetime marks, Extreme Post (1:53), Thunder Strom (1:51.4), Schlick Mieshter (1:52.4), Hurricane’s Fury (1:52.2), Satin Time N (1:53.1), Chesham Bois (1:53.1), Headmaster (1:52.3) and Fluster (1:51.3).

Thunder Storm will be out to derail Headmaster, a five-year-old son of former Horse of the Year Artsplace. Owned by Frank Deliberti and trained by Roy Dinges, Headmaster is riding a two-race winning streak at Plainridge, including a seasonal best 1:25.3 win in last week’s Open. Jim Marohn Jr. gets the drive for the fourth consecutive start on Headmaster.

Monday’s 10-race program kicks off Plainridge’s biggest week of the season that will culminate in the Labor Day extravaganza headlined by the $50,000 Bert Beckwith Memorial Pace.

Located conveniently between Boston and Providence, Plainridge Racecourse offers live racing three days per week and the most extensive menu of harness, thoroughbred, greyhound and quarter horse racing in the country, seven days a week. Post time normally on Monday, Tuesday and Saturday afternoons is 4 p.m.