by Jack Ginnetti

Marlborough, MA — Plainridge Racecourse was just splended on ‘Beckwith Day Monday’ to driver Greg Grismore and trainer Mickey Burke.

Track record holder Maltese Artist cruised to a convincing win in the 12th running of the $75,000 Bert Beckwith Memorial Invitational Pace with Grismore up, wiring the field of eight in 1:50.4. The victory marked the third straight year that Burke’s entries have captured the region’s most coveted race.

Santastic’s Pan was driven to victory last year by Jim Morrill, Jr. in 1:51.1 and Monday’s Labor Day winner of the Beckwith classic set the track record in 2005. Grismore’s drive aboard the winner was his second win in the Plainridge classic. He drove Cambest Prince to victory in 2002 over a sloppy track in 1:53.4. Burke’s feat of three Beckwith titles is a new track mark.

“You’re just basically a passenger with him,” Grismore remarked after his start to finish victory. “He can leave like a rocket and I got things my way.”

Grismore and Burke had things their way again in the day’s ninth race as Up Front Jerry won the $20,000 James Winters Memorial Open in 1:52.

This year’s classic, which had plenty of new wrinkles for all, drew one of the largest crowds in Beckwith race history, which begain in 1994 and was the brainchild of Plainridge COO Gary Piontkowski, who at that time was overseeing racing at Foxboro Raceway.

Under beautiful weather conditions fans were treated to the induction of David Marshall to Plainridge’s ‘Wall of Fame,’ the appearance in three races of the legends of New England harness racing, autograph signings, and remembrances to Ron Pasquantonio, Winters, Joseph Vaccaro, Ken Heeney, Bucky Day, Harold Gravel and Marshall.

Also recognized with races in their honor were David Berube, The C.K.G. Billings Amateur Driving Series, and the Christian Harness Horsemen’s Association in memory of Max Blair.

Bruce Ranger, who is nearing 7,000 career wins, was the winner of the Legends Driving Series and Peter Blood, up from Pompano Park, and John Hogan, a winner with Classy Talker and a Foxboro favorite in the early ’80s, tield for second place honors.

Others taking part in the New England Legends Driving Championship were Willard Beckwith, Greg Bowden (three-time Plainridge driving champion), Jim Doherty, a 2002 Goshen Hall of Famer with more than 4,500 career wins, Steve O’Toole, Plainridge General Manager who finished with 1,000 career wins before an injury halted his driving career, and Ted Wing, another Foxboro favorite with more than 5,000 career victories.

When Blood won the second race with Sing One Song he sang out 1,101. “What’s that,” I asked. “Career win number 1,101,” he remarked.

Blood set the tone for the festive afternoon of fun, renewing aquaintances, and handshakes galore when he described how New England fans seem so much more friendly. “The horse seems to come first here,” he said, “drivers and history mean more to them.”

Driver David Ingraham, a two-time winner of the Beckwith in 2001 with Space Shuttle and 2003 driving Carlspur, had himself a good afternoon. Ingraham drove the Leonard LeBlanc trained and owned Sunceraye to the winner’s circle in the $20,000 Pasquantonio Trot and finished second with All Over The Place in an all-out effort from the seven post in the Beckwith Classic.

Peter Gerry closed out the festive Beckwith Day card, driving Chooch to the winner’s circle in the second C.K.G. Billings Amateur race of the day. With Orrin Phipps looking on, it was one happy group in victory lane. Chooch is Orrin’s stable favorite and according to his friend, Don Harmon, Orrin expects to be back racing next season. Chooch was clocked in 2:02.

Again the 2007 Plainridge Classic remembering Bert Beckwith was another one to to file under meaningful splendor. From the singing of God Bless America by John DeFiore, the roar of the crowd on a sun filled day, to the day’s Grand Marshall, Arianna Brown.