Plainville, MA — Since coming to Massachusetts from Ohio’s Miami Valley Raceway, No Quarter has been a formidable contender, finishing second and first in two starts. But on Thursday (May 20), the son of Somebeachsomewhere and Take That Hanover rewrote the Plainridge Park record book for 4-year-old pacing horses by scorching the Plainville oval in 1:49.2, displacing the 21-year-old standard of 1:49.3 set by Space Shuttle.

No Quarter scorched a 1:49.2 mile, the fastest ever by a 4-year-old pacing entire over Plainridge Park, on Thursday afternoon. Tom Melanson photo.

No Quarter (Shawn Gray) left like a runaway freight train and then disregarded the field once he took control. After getting to the half in :55.1, Gray gave No Quarter his head, and he really got to work. He opened up four lengths by three-quarters in a sizzling :26.3 split, extended that lead to eight lengths at the top of the stretch, and then annihilated the competition by opening up a 14-1/2 length gap through a :27.3 final quarter to stop the clock in 1:49.2.

The time not only set the aforementioned track record, it was also a new lifetime mark for No Quarter by two-fifths of a second and is now the fastest pacing mile of the 2021 Plainridge meet.

After the race, driver Shawn Gray simply stated, “He had his game face on today.”

It was the second win in only seven starts this year for No Quarter ($12.60), and it pushed his bankroll to $25,400 this year for owner Scheigert Racing. Amanda Kelley trains the record breaker.

Gray ended up with a driving grand slam on the card, winning with Leave And Roll (1:56.1, $2.40) and Rightfully Mine (1:53.1, $4.40) to take both halves of the daily double, and then two more consecutive races with No Quarter and Salvadors Sun (1:54, $14.20). Gray currently sits second among all Plainridge drivers for wins, behind Bruce Ranger.

Three state-bred 3-year-old pacing fillies who will compete in the Massachusetts Sire Stakes later this year looked very impressive in some early season starts made on Thursday.

Rightfully Mine (American Ideal-Leah) took a new lifetime mark, going 1:53.1 in gate-to-wire fashion in her season’s debut. Owned by Anthony Scussel and her breeder, Monique Cohen, the Sheena McElhiney-trained Rightfully Mine ($4.40) pushed her lifetime earnings to $113,812.

McElhiney also sent Seafood Sweetheart (American Ideal-Seafood Annie) to a gate-to-wire, three-length romp in 1:53.4, also a new lifetime mark. Seafood Sweetheart ($2.80) was bred and is owned by the Seafood Delight Stable.

Finally, So Amazing (So Surreal-Teddy Ballgirl) continued to take advantage of the speed-favoring track by also leading at every station to score a convincing 2-1/2-length win in 1:53.3, which was only two-fifths off her lifetime best. It was the second win in three 2021 starts for So Amazing ($2.80), who is owned by Nancy and Dominic Longobardi, who also bred the George Ducharme trainee.

This year, the Massachusetts Sire Stakes begin on Sept. 26 and conclude on Oct. 25. More details on the series can be found at www.sominc.net.

Racing resumes at Plainridge Park on Friday (May 21) with post time at 4 p.m.