Plainville, MA — Plainridge Park’s leading drivers, Bruce Ranger and Kevin Switzer Jr., pulled farther away from their peers but maintained the same distance between each other as they both registered hat tricks on Tuesday (Sept. 13). Also, the track’s second leading trainer, Elisha Lafereniere, got closer to the top of her category after scoring three wins of her own.

Ranger won the featured $20,000 Open Pace for fillies and mares with Pure Cotton ($4.40), who stalked fast fractions of :26 and :53.4 from fifth before pulling first-over past the half to track down the pacesetting Adashious Hanover (Luke Hanners). Pure Cotton had the lead by the top of the stretch and extended it to 3-1/2 lengths at the wire, where she won in 1:51.

Pure Cotton stalked fast fractions before pulling away to a decisive win in Tuesday’s Mares Open Pace at Plainridge Park. Tom Melanson photo.

With the win, Pure Cotton rose to $102,720 in seasonal earnings for owner William Hartt. Lance Hudson trains the winner.

Ranger also won with Always Beachy (1:54.2, $5.00), who is owned by Lindy Farms of Connecticut and trained by Domenico Cecere, and Amini (1:52.3, $3.40), who competes for owner Karma Racing and trainer Elisha Lafreniere.

As noted, Amini, who scored her third straight win at Plainridge today, was one of Lafreniere’s three winners. She was joined by Sweet Sally Sue (1:54, $2.40), for Robert Stasio and Devita Racing, and I Pay Your Salary ($4.60), who won in a new lifetime mark of 1:54.4 for Lynette Buter.

Switzer drove both Sweet Sally Sue and I Pay Your Salary for Lafreniere, and nabbed his third win behind Acefortyfour Cory (1:55, $13.60) for owner-trainer Jamie Gerard.

After all the dust had settled on Tuesday, Ranger remains atop the driver colony with 117 wins and Switzer sits second with 102. Lafreniere is also second among all Plainridge trainers with 56 wins, just six behind leader Jimmy Nickerson, who now has 62 wins after taking one race during the card Tuesday.

There are a couple items coming up on the racing schedule at Plainridge Park that should be noted. Sunday racing begins Sept. 18 and runs through Oct. 23; post time will be at 2 p.m. for all Sunday cards. Also, the Massachusetts Sire Stakes starts at Plainridge on Sept. 25. That series runs through the month of October and culminates on Oct. 24 with all eight finals.

For now, live racing resumes at Plainridge Park on Thursday afternoon (Sept. 15) with post time at 2 p.m. Free full past performance race programs for all live race days can be downloaded by visiting the track’s website.