Negotiator let his speed do the talking as he settled the matter of the $35,211 Baystate Special at Plainridge Park on Thursday, Nov. 13 with a hard-closing victory.
Negotiator (Mitchell Cushing) got away sixth as Hespoisedtopounce A (Matty Athearn) led the field through fractions of :27.3 and :56.3. At the second station, Anvil Hands (Jim Hardy) led the outer flow first-over, followed by Mansome (Ron Cushing) and Negotiator.
With the field in two rows, Hespoisedtopounce A and Anvil Hands raced abreast to three-quarters in 1:25 and around the last turn, where Mansome tipped three-wide around Anvil Hands and Negotiator went four-wide. Anvil Hands struck the front at the top of the stretch, but Mansome took the lead from him three pylons out before Negotiator got up late to beat Mansome by a neck in 1:53.3. Anvil Hands finished third.
Negotiator's win was his third in his last five starts and fifth overall in 23 tries this year. The four-year-old son of Somestarsomewhere-Fox Valley Jazzy is owned by Ray Lasky and Cushing, who also trains the gelding. The win price was $11.
In the $28,169 upper-level conditioned pace, millionaire Fourever Boy (Brett Beckwith) sat fourth as Frisco Bay N (Aaron Byron) cut the quarter in :27 before yielding to Price Control (Mitchell Cushing), who brought the field to the half in :55.4. Price Control then led up the backstretch, where Beckwith pulled Fourever Boy first-over heading to three-quarters. Price Control tripped the timer there in 1:24.1, but Fourever Boy cruised past him and had the lead at the top of the stretch, striding out to a 1-3/4-length win in 1:52.3. Joy In Mudville (Nick Graffam) closed for second over Price Control.
Melissa Beckwith trains Fourever Boy, a 23-time winner in 115 starts. The six-year-old Sweet Lou-Macharoundtheclock stallion is owned by Micki Rae Stables LLC. He returned $4.40 to win. Fourever Boy will stand his first season at stud next year. At the close of the current Plainridge meet, he will ship to Chris Coyle in North Carolina for fertility testing, and he is slated to do stallion duty in both Virginia and Maine in 2026.
For all the longshot lovers, there was a huge upset in the day’s first race when Jay Randall drove Dan Tuccillo Jr.’s Waves to a 1:54 victory. The 47-1 shot returned $96.20 for a $2 win wager.
Kevin Switzer Jr. had a big day at The Ridge on Thursday, scoring a grand slam during the 10-race card. “Swit” won with Meadowbrook Flash (1:53, $10.80), Gigitygigitygigty (1:55, $10.80), P L Pasquale (1:52.4, $13.80) and Jettingtomalibu (1:51.4, $6.80).
Ten different trainers each won one race apiece during Thursday’s program.
Live racing will resume at Plainridge Park on Friday at 1 p.m.
(Standardbred Owners of Massachusetts)