The $100,000 Paul Revere Pace for three-year-olds in 2023 was held at Plainridge Park on Thursday afternoon (May 4) and featured a select group of speedy side-wheelers that went to post in two $50,000 divisions and broke both the stakes and track records.
The first leg was won by Thunder Hunter Joe (Huntsville-Thunder Angel), who followed fast early fractions to capture a career-best win.
Peppermint Man (Mitch Cushing) played hard ball with Metal Man (Greg Merton), parking him to the quarter in :25.3 before he was able to clear and cross over. Metal Man then set up shop on the top and continued the torrid pace with a :54 half. As they rolled by that station, Ben Solo (Dexter Dunn) pulled first-over and Thunder Hunter Joe (Tyler Buter) followed loosely in the outer flow.
Ben Solo cleared at the five-eighths while Thunder Hunter Joe continued to grind in the breeze. Positions remained unchanged around the last turn and Ben Solo took a gapped advantage into the stretch. Buter started to get after Thunder Hunter Joe to make up the difference and the gelding responded enthusiastically. Thunder Hunter Joe paced hard in the lane and got the jump at the light, winning by three-quarters of a length in 1:51.
The time was a new lifetime mark for the winner and also established a new stakes record.
It was the second straight win in only two 2023 starts for Thunder Hunter Joe ($6), who is owned by Devita Racing Stable, David Hamm, Glenn Phillips and Christopher Giaccio. Nicholas Devita trains the winner, who was bred by Heather Zitone.
The second division went to Caviart Scotland (American Ideal-Darlins Delight), who led at every station to claim his first lifetime win and set some records of his own.
Driver Josert Fonseca pushed Caviart Scotland off the gate and to the lead, seating Sheer Terror (Bret Beckwith) and Goldin Greatness (Dexter Dunn) in the process. Everyone paced in place through a :26.4 quarter and :54.2 half before Dunn tipped Goldin Greatness off the pylons nearing the five-eighths. Goldin Greatness then advanced quickly on the outside and drew alongside Caviart Scotland in the final bend.
Halfway through the turn, Fonseca popped the plugs on his charge and Caviart Scotland responded and shifted gears. At the seven-eighths pole, Caviart Scotland started to pull away from Goldin Greatness and with no other challenge imminent, Caviart Scotlond headed for home under a line drive and cruised to a 2-1/4 length victory in 1:50.3.
The winning time was a new lifetime mark for Caviart Scotland, reset the stakes record from the first leg and also smashed the track record for three-year-old pacing colts at Plainridge Park.
Caviart Scotland ($15.80) is owned by Caviart Farms and trained by Nancy Takter. White Birch Farms bred the winner.
The old stakes record for the Paul Revere Pace was 1:52.1 set by Groovy Man in 2022 at Plainridge Park and the track record of 1:51.1 for three-year-old pacing colts was co-held by Shoobees Place (2010) and Sports Obsession (2020).
Live harness racing resumes at Plainridge Park on Monday, May 8 at 4 p.m.
(Plainridge Park)