Plainville, MA – Coming in off a lifetime best winning effort of 1:48.3 at the Meadowlands in his last start, Vel Mr Nice Guy successfully toured the facility on the front-end claiming victory in the featured $22,500 Open Handicap pace at Plainridge Park on Monday afternoon (June 20).

Vel Mr Nice Guy rolled to a 1-3/4 length victory this afternoon at Plainridge. Tom Melanson photo.

Driver Bruce Ranger left swiftly with Vel Mr Nice Guy and took the lead against no opposition before registering a :26.4 first quarter and after settling in, the pair controlled their own destiny. As Rollinlikethunder (Kevin Switzer Jr.) and Bettor Memories (Heath Campbell) sat directly behind the leader, Vel Mr Nice Guy backed off the half to :55.3 when Bettor Memories pulled first-over into the backstretch.

Bettor Memories got to Vel Mr Nice Guy’s wheel and that was as far as he’d go as Ranger gave the leader his head and he strode out to a gapped advantage at three quarters in a very fast :27.3 third panel. Off the last turn and heading for home, Rollinlikethunder pulled the pocket and took his best shot in the stretch, but Vel Mr Nice Guy was home free by 1-3/4 lengths in 1:51 even.

It was the fifth win in the last six starts for Vel Mr Nice Guy ($4.20) who is owned by Chris Page and trained by Melissa Beckwith.

Later in the card, a full field of nine lined up in the undercard $20,000 conditioned pace with Mansome putting in a herculean effort to come out victorious.

Mansome tied his lifetime best of 1:50.4 this afternoon while getting his third victory of 2022 at the Ridge. Tom Melanson photo.

Kevin Switzer Jr. put Mansome on the lead before Drawing Dragons (Bruce Ranger) took the top past the eighth pole. But Switzer was not content in the hole and retook by the quarter in a blistering :25.4. Mansome then registered quick quarters of :54.2 and 1:22.2 with the field trying to keep pace. As the race came off the last turn the Drawing Dragons and the late closing Always A Miki (Drew Monti) made it interesting late however Mansome manned-up and turned back all comers, winning by one length in a lifetime best tying time of 1:50.4.

Mansome ($8.00) got his third win of the year for owners Bruce Weinstein and Elisha Lafreniere, who also trains the winner.

Drew Monti and Jimmy Nickerson were the leading driver and trainer respectively on Monday, scoring two wins apiece.

Premium payouts were the order of the day as a litany of longshots lit up the board. Major Crisis A (Joe Skowyra, 1:54.4) kicked it off with a $40.80 mutuel followed by Pembroke Justice (Heath Campbell, 1:55.4) who returned $129.60 and then Lyons Legacy (Shawn Thayer, 1:52.3) paid $32.80, closing out the maximum withdrawal returns.

There is a large and growing carryover of $27,472 available in the sixth race Wicked Hi-5 wager when live racing resumes at Plainridge Park on Tuesday afternoon (June 21) with post time at 4 p.m. Free full past performance race programs for all live race days can be downloaded by visiting the track’s website at plainridgeparkcasino.com and clicking the “Racing” tab.