Moonshine Kisses has been a very high percentage performer his entire career and since coming into the barn of trainer Jackie Greene, has been nothing short of a win machine. The seven-year-old son of Sunshine Beach has been racing for six years now, but just like a bottle of fine wine, he just keeps getting better with age. 

With a perfect three-for-three win record at Plainridge Park this year, Moonshine Kisses will be ready to protect his turf when he competes in the $75,000 Bert Beckwith Memorial Pace that will be held during Spirit of Massachusetts Day on Sunday, July 23.

“We bought him privately at the end of his three-year-old year in 2019 from Mark Steacy and he did well for us in some of the non-winners classes," said Greene. "The following year, when he was four, was a tough transition for him moving into those Open classes against aged horses. But he held his own and did well, winning a total of eight races.”

“Then, in 2021, he started having some soundness issues. We tried doing the short term things to get him back in the box, but eventually we decided to give him the proper amount of time off and do the right things to get him back sound long term. And I hate to say anything -- knock on wood -- but ever since that time, he’s been awesome.”

Moonshine Kisses was off three months that year, but made a solid comeback in the fall, winning his first start back in September in the Open Handicap at Saratoga in 1:52.1 by over three lengths. Then he won five more starts by the end of the year, all in the top class at Yonkers, Plainridge and Saratoga. 

This year, Moonshine Kisses is in the midst of the best year of his life. He started out winning five races at Yonkers and two at Saratoga, almost all of which were in Open company. Then he came to Plainridge in late May and made history in three consecutive starts in the Open there.

On May 25, Moonshine Kisses won in 1:49 to set a track record for older pacing horses and a new lifetime mark for himself. Then, on June 1, he won again in 1:49 to tie both the record and personal mark. Two weeks later, on June 15, he won in 1:48.1 to set another new record for older pacing horses, tied the all-time pacing record at Plainridge alongside Shartin N and Lyons Sentinel and took another lifetime mark for himself. 

Greene couldn’t have been happier with the way her horse raced and said his routine remained the same and attributed his success to schedule and his own demeanor. 

“Those three weeks, he just had the same care he’s had prior to those starts. The weeks he goes back to back we train him once, the weeks he misses a week we train him a couple of times. We turn him out, he has grass and pastures, he’s just a happy horse. He’s an easy one, if only they were all like that,” said Greene.

“We normally try to race him every two weeks and then give him a week off. If he’s had a tough couple weeks, we might give him an extra week off. We just try to keep managing him and spacing out his starts.” 

With that in mind, his start in the Beckwith will be less than a week removed from his 1:50.3 Open win at Yonkers on June 17, which also happened to be the fastest win he’s ever had over a half-mile track. So it’s a bit of a departure from his norm.

“Coming back to race in six days this week has been a question for me, but we’re doing it and we’ll see what happens. Obviously, his owner, Wayne Kellogg, thinks highly of him. He could have raced in the Gerrity at Saratoga on Saturday [July 22], but we chose not to put him in there because he really doesn’t like Saratoga. He actually prefers the Yonkers surface because of the straightaways. He wears a spreader and touches a knee and for whatever reason, he prefers Yonkers over Saratoga. So instead of the Gerrity, we put him in the Beckwith at Plainridge, and obviously the five-eighths mile track versus a half,” said Greene.

“Coming into this week…so far so good. It’s a tough field but they’re all tough fields when you get up to that level.”

The Bert Beckwith Memorial Pace originated at Foxboro Park in 1994 and was held there through 1996. It was named in honour of one of the best overall horsemen to ever come out of Massachusetts and recall all the great racing moments he was a part of in the state. 

The race had gained such popularity it was scheduled to be broadcast live on ESPN in 1997. But Foxboro Park was closed for good that year and the broadcast never came to pass. When Plainridge Park opened in 1999 just five miles down Highway 1 from the shuttered track, Plainridge officials brought the race back by popular demand and have hosted it ever since.

Previous winners of the Beckwith include some great pacers including Space Shuttle, Maltese Artist and Foiled Again. 

Post time for Spirit of Massachusetts Day on Sunday is 2 p.m., but the gates will open at 1 p.m. for an afternoon filled with an array of activities.

Owners, trainers and their connections of horses racing in the stakes will be treated to a welcome luncheon in the Boylston Room, upstairs in the grandstand.

Todd Angilly of the Boston Bruins will be singing our national anthem before the first race and will also be performing at other times during the day along with the Berkshire Valley Boys, who will be providing entertainment throughout the day between races.

Guests will be able to get a free Plainridge Park commemorative 25th anniversary hat compliments of Plainridge Park Casino and the Harness Horseman’s Association of New England and B101-FM Providence will be on the property giving fans a chance to win racing binoculars compliments of Plainridge Park Casino and B101-FM.

The Home Stretch food truck will be available near The Patio and a bar will be open at The Hut outside of the grandstand.  

(Plainridge Park)