Resolve To Win left hard from the outside and led at every call to win the $41,667 Open Handicap Trot at Plainridge Park for the second straight week on Tuesday, June 16, finishing off a training triple for Enrico Robinson.
Resolve To Win (Bruce Ranger) completed the long trek from post eight to the front at the quarter in :27.3. With Kazio Dk (Kevin Switzer Jr.) drafting contently in the pocket, Resolve To Win stepped to the half in :56.2 and three-quarters in 1:24.2 unchallenged.
Positions remained unchanged as the field made its way through turn three, but at the top of the stretch, Kazio Dk pulled and took direct aim at Resolve To Win. The two trotters duelled to the line, but Kazio Dk could not catch the leader and Resolve To Win crossed the line first by three-quarters of a length in 1:52.4. Ordained (Nick Graffam) finished third.
Resolve To Win notched his third win in his last four starts for Robinson and owner Pollack Racing LLC. The six-year-old son of Resolve is now 32-for-101 lifetime with $600,273 in earnings. He paid $9 to win.
Robinson earned his other wins with Illstandmyground ($2.80), making her second start for the trainer, and Double Account ($6.20). The conditioner, who went three-for-four on the day, is 67-for-422 this season.
Meet leader Gretchen Athearn matched his total on the nine-race card. She took bookend victories with Just Roxy ($10) and Chasing Crystals ($11.60) and won the fourth race with Laurens Hoopla ($6.60). All three were driven by Matt Athearn. The conditioner has 20 Plainrdige wins this season, putting her four ahead of Robinson, who moved up to second with his Tuesday triple. She is shooting for her second straight title at The Ridge.
In the sub-featured $30,556 upper-level optional-claiming trot, Unhinged (Brett Beckwith) out-left several horses and led the field at the quarter in :26.4. Mocha Java (Jay Randall) then vacated the pocket to take point and resided there to the half in :55.2 and three-quarters in 1:23.4, while Unhinged sat the pocket and the rest of the field was in two rows. At the top of the stretch, Unhinged tipped out and barrelled down the centre of the track to a 1-1/4-length victory in 1:53.2, setting a new lifetime mark. Lava Field (Bruce Ranger) was second over In A Tiny Way (Matt Athearn).
Unhinged ($18.60) is owned by Howard Jacobs and trained by Melissa Beckwith. The six-year-old Uncle Peter-Crime Wave Hall gelding is 22-for-99 lifetime and has earned $304,698.
Matt Athearn's three wins led the drivers on the day.
Racing resumes at Plainridge Park on Thursday at 4 p.m.
(With files from Standardbred Owners of Massachusetts)