Hastings, MI — The 2026 race meet at Northville Downs at Barry Expo Center came to an end Wednesday (Sept. 30), with the $30,000 Open Pace highlighting the final program.
Over a rain-soaked track, RB (Megatron – Getoutthediamonds), driven, trained and owned by Kim Pluta, captured the featured event.
RB and Pluta secured a pocket trip behind early leader Born Wild, who posted fractions of :27.3 seconds at the quarter and :56.2 at the half. Born Wild was then pressured by Two Birds Onestone before giving way to the three-wide advance of Don’ttouchmytruck, who briefly took the lead at the three-quarters in 1:26.1.
RB managed to shake free from traffic and take command from Don’ttouchmytruck before holding off late surges from Mother Mary and Don’ttouchmytruck to win by three-quarters of a length in 1:56.1. Don’ttouchmytruck finished second, with Mother Mary third.
The victory was the 31st of RB’s career and pushed his lifetime earnings to $289,016.
Throughout the 2026 meet, 12 track records were broken across 26 different categories, highlighting the quality and consistency of the racing surface throughout the season.
Kody Massey led the final program with three driving wins, while Kim Pluta and Don Harmon each recorded two driving victories. Jim Eaton posted two training wins on the afternoon.
Massey was crowned the 2026 driving champion, while Judy Roegner claimed the training title.
Northville Downs at Barry Expo Center would like to thank the horsemen, owners, trainers, drivers, staff and fans who contributed to a successful and exciting 2026 race meet.