Bruce Ranger continued his torrid driving pace after scoring six more wins on the 11-race card at Plainridge Park on Thursday afternoon. Ranger, who has been in a nip-and-tuck battle with Shawn Gray since the beginning of the meet, extended his lead to seven wins today with Gray currently sidelined after an accident at Saratoga Raceway.
Among his six pack of races won, Ranger captured both $15,000 conditioned events for six-year-old and younger male pacers.
In the first division Ranger put General Ward on the point at the quarter in :26.2 and then led every step of the way from there. After slowing the half to :55.4, General Ward hit the gas and sped home in back-to-back :27.3 panels to win going away by 2-3/4 lengths over Whata Foolbelieves (Matty Athearn) in 1:51.
It was the first win in 11 starts this year and a new lifetime mark for General Ward ($8.60) who had been racing regularly at Harrah’s Philadelphia until he was privately purchased on May 1 by his current owner/trainer, Melissa Beckwith.
In the second division Ranger came from off the pace fifth at the half with Force N Fury and swung three deep around fading cover at the five-eighths. Then he caught up with the leading Put It Right (Kevin Switzer, Jr.) coming out of the last turn and paced by him at the line where he won by three-quarters of a length in 1:51.2.
It was the third win in the last four starts for Force N Fury ($4.40) who has not been worse than second in five Plainridge starts. Force N Fury is owned by his trainer Mark Eaton along with Robert McHugh and Robert Griffin.
Ranger filled out his dance card with Frills N Lace (1:54.2, $7.00), Cheyenne Toby (1:56, $7.00), Captain Terror (1:54.2, $4.80) and The Fun Marshall (1:53, $2.60).
At the current Plainridge meet, Ranger has 34 wins in only 120 starts for a 28% win percentage and a UDR of .311. Overall in 2020 he had driven 57 winners in 216 starts giving him a 26% win percentage and a UDR of .364.
Since 1979 Bruce Ranger had driven 9,422 winners and bankrolled $38.9 million in purses.
Racing resumes at Plainridge Park on Friday (May 14) with post time at 4 p.m.
(Standardbred Owners of Massachusetts)