Coming off an impressive 1:53.3 victory at Saratoga Raceway last week, the Empire State shipper La Bella Vita N came back with an even faster effort to take the $20,000 Winners-Over pace for fillies and mares at Plainridge Park on Tuesday afternoon.
Adashious Hanover (Drew Monti) parked La Bella Vita N (Shawn Gray) to the quarter in :26.3 before she was able to clear but once settled, Gray controlled the race. Then went past the half in :55.1 before any challenge came and Turnthefrownaround (Luke Hanners) is the one that brought the heat.
La Bella Vita N continued to lead and kept Turnthefrownaround at her flank as the hit three-quarters in 1:23.3 and that :28.2 outside brush left the pursuer hanging around the last turn. At the top of the stretch the pocket-sitting Adashious
It was the fifth win of the year for La Bella Vita N ($2.60) who is owned by the team of Bowie Racing and Michael Goldberg Racing. Alicia Gray trains the winner.
Earlier in the $15,000 conditioned pacing event for five-year-old and under fillies and mares, Pembroke Ali (Heath Campbell) sat second behind the front-running Quarrel (Kevin Switzer, Jr.) through quarters of :26.1, :56.2 and 1:24.1 as JBs Star Dancer (Bruce Ranger) tried to reel in the leader from the half. But when that bid failed,
Pembroke Ali ($7.00) is owned by William Varney and trained by Valerie Grondin.
Drivers Heath Campbell, Nick Graffam and Bruce Ranger all had driving doubles on Tuesday.
There is a large and growing carryover of $30,661 available in the sixth race Wicked Hi-5 wager when live racing resumes at
(Standardbred Owners of