Blazing Home N left the field looking at his heels as he darted to an impressive win in the featured $35,211 Open Pace at Plainridge Park on Thursday, Oct. 16.
Blazing Home N (Larry Stalbaum) took the lead from Mullinax (Brett Beckwith) passing the :26.4 quarter and slowed the tempo to the half in :55.1, but the pace changed drastically from that point on. Blazing Home N got into gear on the backstretch and reached the third station in 1:22.3 while Binge On Yankee (Kevin Switzer Jr.) was high and outside, pressing first-over. But Binge On Yankee struck out as Blazing Home N edged away straightening for home and then bolted clear by 3-1/4 lengths and completed the victory in 1:50. Mullinax finished second over Binge On Yankee.
Blazing Home N ($3) is now six-for-30 on the year for Stalbaum, who owns and trains him. The six-year-old Rock N Roll Heaven-Capture My Heart gelding took his 19th lifetime victory and grew his bankroll to $355,186 in 62 appearances.
In the $31,690 upper-level conditioned pace, Hunting Zone avenged two close seconds in his last two starts. Hunting Zone (Beckwith) set up shop on the point and cruised through splits of :26.4, :54.2, and 1:21.4 as Rocknroll Runa A (Stalbaum) stalked from the pocket. At the top of the stretch, Rocknroll Runa A popped out and took his best shot, but Hunting Zone was on target and held on to win by a quarter-length in 1:50. Ahi Sunshine (Bruce Ranger) was third. Hunting Zone ($8) took his seventh win of the season in 28 outings for owner Pollock Racing LLC and trainer Jeff Cullipher. The gelding, a five-year-old son of Huntsville-Smart Zone, is now 15-for-80 lifetime with $282,712 in earnings.
Driver Nick Graffam reached the 1,500-win plateau with his 1:51.1 win behind Intothemysticmoon ($6.20) in the seventh race. The reinsman, who made his debut in 2013, has set a new career record for earnings in a season this year, and he is 24 wins shy of a new personal best win total.
Mitchell Cushing totalled six wins on the 11-race program, four as a driver and two as a trainer. He won with Handlelikeaporsche (1:51.1, $5), Muse La Rouge (1:53, $6.20), Royaltys Dreamer (1:52.4, $10.60), and Negotiator (1:52.3, $3.60), the last two from his own barn. Cullipher also had two training wins.
There was a huge upset in the day’s second race when One Eyed Delilah won by 2-1/4 lengths in 1:57.3 at 38-1 and returned $79.80 for a $2 win ticket. The Jackpot Wicked Hi-5 pentafecta was also hit in the sixth race when the single unique combination of 7-3-1-5-8 returned a handsome $2,046.62 for a 20-cent wager.
Live racing will resume at Plainridge Park on Friday, Oct. 17 at 2 p.m.
(Standardbred Owners of Massachusetts)