Plainville, MA — Fourever Boy sat in the garden spot for seven-eighths of a mile and then turned that perfect trip into a big win in the $25,000 Open Pace at Plainridge Park on Thursday (May 8) afternoon.
Torrid Saint A (Bruce Ranger) took the lead and got to the half in a rated :56.1. That prompted Solesseo Matuca A (Matty Athearn) and Grey Horizon (Mitchell Cushing) to pull in turn two and try to make up ground in a fast :27 third quarter.
Solesseo Matuca A drew alongside Fourever Boy when Grey Horizon tipped three deep around him, but neither could reach Torrid Saint A. At the top of the stretch, Fourever Boy had room to pull and he tipped out and paced away to a solid two length victory in 1:51.
It was the second straight win, third of the year and 20th lifetime for Fourever Boy ($6.20) who is owned by Micki Rae Stables and trained by Melissa Beckwith.
Fourever Boy was one of three wins for Brett Beckwith on Thursday.
In the secondary featured $19,000 upper-level conditioned pace, Price Control (Cushing) was second behind Little Willy (Beckwith) at the quarter, but took the lead before the half and from there, never looked back. After turning away a mild bid from Always A Miki (Athearn) in the third quarter, Price Control opened up two lengths by the top of the stretch and won in 1:51.1, tying his lifetime mark.
Price Control ($3.40) is owned by Ray Lasky, Matthew Little and his driver Cushing, who also does the training.
Driver Athearn scored a hat trick in the bike during the afternoon while trainer Paul Kelley was top conditioner with a pair of perfect performances by his students to his credit.
Racing resumes at Plainridge Park on Monday (May 12) at 4 p.m. and there will be a $2,481 carryover in the sixth race Wicked Hi-5 pentafecta.
Free full past performance programs and race replays for all live racing days at Plainridge Park can be found at plainridgeparkcasino.com.