Making his first start at Plainridge Park this year on Thursday, April 18, Snowpiercer made quick and easy work of the competition in the $23,288 featured trot and notched his fourth win of the year in the process.
Brett Beckwith sent Snowpiercer down the road from post five and led the entire race by open lengths. After setting fractions of :27.1, :57 and 1:25.2 while leading by as much as four lengths during the mile, the four-year-old Muscle Mass gelding hit the straight and cruised home a wrapped-up, 2-3/4-length winner in a season’s best 1:54.1 over a sloppy track.
Snowpiercer ($5.40) is owned by Janie Kellogg and trained by Jackie Greene. The Ontario Sires Stakes graduate moved his career bankroll to $288,306.
Beckwith, Greene and Kellogg teamed up again later to win with Kill A Dragon ($3) in a new lifetime mark of 1:52.
There was also a pair of $19,178 conditioned trots that took undercard billing on Thursday.
In the first, Enola (Nick Graffam) left from post seven and after being parked over three-eighths of a mile, took command and never looked back. Despite being challenged by Help Dust (Bruce Ranger) for most of the second half of the race, Enola persevered and pulled away to a 1-3/4-length win in a new lifetime mark of 1:57.4.
Enola ($7) is owned by Burke Racing and Weaver Bruscemi, and is trained by Joe Nelson.
In the second, Yucatan Party Man (Matty Athearn), who was grossly overlooked and released by the betting public at 63-1, left from post seven and dropped in second behind Comeonover Hanover (Drew Campbell) for seven-eighths of the mile. At the top of the lane, Athearn tipped Yucatan Party Man and he trotted past the leader under urging to claim a one-length victory in a new seasonal mark of 1:54.4.
Yucatan Party Man rewarded his backers with a $128.40 mutuel. His connections include Team Ciuffetelli: owners Joseph and Albert and trainer Tony.
Matty Athearn, Nick Graffam, Jimmy Hardy and Kevin Switzer Jr. all scored two driving wins during the proceedings.
Racing resumes at Plainridge Park on Monday, April 22, with post time at 4 p.m., and the card will feature a $4,692 carryover in the Wicked Hi-5 in race six.
(Standardbred Owners of Massachusetts)