Plainville, MA — Despite inclement weather and a rain-soaked track, speed was at the forefront over the wet/fast surface at Plainridge Park on Thursday (Oct. 16) afternoon and the top two tilts clearly illustrated that.
In the featured $25,000 Open Handicap pace for fillies and mares, Swedish Starlet N followed fast early fractions before pouncing late to claim her seventh win of the year.
Soft Shot (Kyle Swift) got the early lead while Swedish Starlet N (Matty Athearn) followed in the garden spot and Achushla Machree N (Mitchell Cushing) was on the outside, trying to get to the front. After Soft Shot cut quarters of :26 and :54, it was clear she was not going to cut Acushla Machree N loose and the top two tangled onto the backstretch.
As the race proceeded to three-quarters, Acushla Machree N started to tire near five-eighths, where Royally Hot (Michael Oosting) tipped three-deep around her and moved into second while Swedish Starlet N was still lurking in the pocket. After passing the third marker in 1:21.2, Royally Hot continued to gain on Soft Shot and was almost even before they entered the stretch. That’s where Swedish Starlet N tipped three-deep around them both and powered down the lane like a freight train and won by 1-1/2 lengths in 1:50.
It was the 35th lifetime victory for Swedish Starlet N ($29.00), who is owned by Tim Bojarski and Tony Gruppo and trained by Jimmy Nickerson.
The $19,000 5-year-old and under class for non-winners of three races has become one of the toughest classes for male pacers at Plainridge over the past two weeks. Last week, newcomer PA Luke broke the track record for 3-year-old pacing geldings with his 1:49.2 winning effort. This week, another newcomer fared even better as Just Givener broke that record again.
Just Givener (Nick Graffam) got away third and watched as PA Luke (Bruce Ranger) led the field through quarters of :26.2 and :54.1 to the half. As the race passed five-eighths, Just Givener tipped out, moved into second and then followed PA Luke around the last turn. When the top two reached the seven-eighths pole, Just Givener pulled, drew alongside PA Luke in mid-stretch and then pulled away by 1-1/2 lengths at the light and won in 1:49, which broke the track record and also provided a new lifetime mark for the winner.
Just Givener ($18.00) is owned by Pollack Racing and trained by Enrico Robinson. Pollock and Robinson ended the day with a total of three winners on the card.
The most productive horseman of the afternoon was Mitchell Cushing, who accounted for a total of five wins – three driving and two training.
Racing will resume at Plainridge Park on Monday (Oct. 19) at 2 p.m. with the third leg of the $3.2 million Massachusetts Sire Stakes being featured. There will also be a $11,344 carryover in the Wicked Hi-5 pentafecta wager in the sixth race.
Free full card past performance programs for every live card of racing at Plainridge Park can always be downloaded at their website (plainridgeparkcasino.com) under the “Racing” tab. You can also watch all the race replays on that same page.