Trainer Marcus Melander could not have had a better time in New England on Thursday (May 15) afternoon after watching his two entries finish first and second in the Grade 3 $138,889 Bunker Hill Trot at Plainridge Park.
The Hambletonian eligible Variegated (Chapter Seven-White Cheetah) out-trotted his stablemate Global Sensation (Chapter Seven-Fly Angel Fly) in deep stretch to win in 1:53.1 and take a new lifetime mark. The time was also just one-fifth of a second off the track and stake record.
There was a mad dash off the gate as four horses competed three-deep in the first turn to determine the leader. Goo Goo Gone (Aaron Merriman) was the first to clear, but then Variegated (Dexter Dunn) took the front momentarily before Karinchak (Mark Macdonald) finally settled on the point after they passed the quarter in :27.2. This left the fourth leaver, My Degenerate (Tyler Miller), out in the breeze fourth as they approached the half. My Degenerate kept on going and drew near Karinchak going by the five-eighths as a lively outer-flow had formed behind him with Global Sensation (Brett Beckwith) fourth-over and still eighth in the line up.
As the race passed three-quarters in 1:24, My Degenerate and Karinchak continued to battle while Variegated was poised to pounce from the pocket and Global Sensation found room between horses and moved into fourth, right next to Variegated. At the top of the stretch, the dueling leaders began to tire while Global Sensation tipped four-wide around them, and Variegated found room along the pylons and shot through the gap. Both trotters then matched strides evenly heading for home before Variegated pulled away by a length and won in 1:53.1.
Variegated ($9.60) pushed his lifetime earnings to $373,511 for owner S R F Stable.
Dunn ended the day as the leading driver after scoring three wins on the card.
In overnight action at The Ridge, Heinikin Bythebay (Kevin Switzer Jr.) made quick work of a short field of five as he went gate to wire to win by a length in 1:50.4 and push his career earnings to $660,221 in his bank account.
Heinikin Bythebay is owned by KDK Standardbred and trained by Kevin Switzer. He returned $4 for the win.
The eight-year-old track record for three-year-old trotting fillies was tied on Thursday after Stash Some Cash (Dexter Dunn) turned in an impressive 7-3/4 length win timed in 1:53.3 in her first start of the year. The clocking was also the fastest for a three-year-old trotting filly over a five-eighths mile track in North America this year.
Stash Some Cash ($2.60) is owned by Moni Maker Stable and trained by Domenico Cecere.
Stash Some Cash was the third of three wins for Cecere who scored a natural hat trick in races one, two and three. He also won with Tactical Moni (1:57.1, $2.80) and Murial (1:56, $2.40). Stash Some Cash (Walner-Nothing But Moni) and Tactical Moni (Tactical Landing-All Our Moni) are products of the Massachusetts breeding program and are both eligible for the $3 million USD (est.) Massachusetts Breeders Stake later this year.
The Wicked Hi-5 pentafecta was hit in the sixth race and paid a huge dividend. The single unique combination of 2-4-7-9-3 returned an instant jackpot of $8,684.90 for the 20-cent wager.
Racing resumes at Plainridge Park on Monday (May 19) at 4 p.m.
(Plainridge Park)