Once, twice, three times Beautiful Lady was used. But fighting back from every challenge, she captured the $12,000 fillies and mares Open Handicap pacing feature at Plainridge Park on Tuesday afternoon.
Golden Idol (Eddie Davis, Jr.) and Beautiful Lady (Bruce Aldrich, Jr.) both left and neither would concede the lead. From the pylons, Golden Idol played hardball with Beautiful Lady to the tune of :26.4 and :54.2 before Aldrich gave in and took a seat. When he did, Davis stepped on the gas and opened up a four-length lead by the time they hit the three-quarters in 1:22.1.
Around the last turn, Elm Grove Inarush (Greg Merton) made her way up to third and then moved into second in front of Beautiful Lady, but those two were still three lengths behind the leader. However prompting each other along, they caught up to the tiring Golden Idol and then flanked her; Elm Grove Inarush outside and Beautiful Lady by the markers. They paced closely, three-abreast down the lane when Beautiful Lady swelled up and paced by the other two to win by a length in 1:51.3.
It was the second win of the year for Beautiful Lady ($3.40) and the time was a new seasonal mark for the mare. The six-year-old daughter of Rocknroll Hanover is owned by Lester Gelardi, Jr. and Anthony Passafaro and is trained by Monique Cohen.
It’s not too often you see fan-favourite Eddie Davis, Jr. go off at odds of 49-1. But that is what happened in the sixth race, where he swung three-deep from eighth onto Highway 495 with Very Well Pretty before driving her down the center of the track to win by a length in 1:54.2. Very Well Pretty set a new lifetime mark in her first-ever visit to the Ridge and rewarded her scant backers with a $101.00 win mutual.
Kevin Switzer, Jr. and Greg Merton each tallied two winning drives on the afternoon.
Racing resumes at Plainridge Park on Thursday with the first post set at 4 p.m.
(Standardbred Owners of Massachusetts)