A pair of paces for fillies and mares topped the card at Plainridge Park on Tuesday afternoon (May 2) and both winners flaunted front-stepping foot.
In the $17,500 event for five-year-olds and under, Toodles Hanover got away second at the quarter to Howdoyalikeit but pulled past that station and took the lead for good. After cruising to the half in :56, Roaring Kitty mounted a first-over challenge that pushed the pace up the backside and around the far turn. As the girls headed into the stretch, A List Girl joined Howdoyalikeit Now and Roaring Kitty in pursuit of Toodles Hanover, but she said "toodle-oo" and maintained pace across the wire to win by a head in a new lifetime mark of 1:53.3.
Toodles Hanover is owned by Katie Callahan and is trained by Gretchen Athearn. Bruce Ranger drove the $6 winner.
Ranger and Athearn both ended the day with two wins apiece.
Earlier in the $16,000 mid-level condition for distaff participants, Booraa N (pictured above) remained undefeated in North America by putting up quick front-end fractions of :26.4, :54.4 and 1:23.1 before turning for home and stretching out to an easy 1-1/2-length margin of victory in 1:52.2.
The win was the second straight in only two starts this year for Booraa N, who is owned by her driver Ron Cushing along with Kevin Sywyk. Heidi Gibbs is the winning trainer. She paid $4 to win.
Other participants scoring two wins during the card included drivers Matty "Ice" Athearn and Kevin Switzer Jr. and trainer Elisha Lafreniere.
There was a huge payout at Plainridge on Thursday after the Wicked Hi-5 pentafecta was hit in the ninth race. The combination of 4-7-5-3-1 paid $21,168 for a 20-cent wager.
Live harness racing will resume at Plainridge Park on Thursday at 4 p.m. (EDT) and that card will feature a $542 carryover in the Pick-6 in Race 4. The first stakes action of the season will take place at Plainridge Park on Thursday when two divisions of the Paul Revere Pace for three-year-olds will go postward for a total of $100,000 in purses.
(Plainridge Park)