Wainapedia showed up with a win and showed off with a brand new lifetime mark and 20-1 payoff in a $19,178 starter allowance pace featured on Friday, June 6 at Plainridge Park.
Odds On Lauderdale (Kevin Switzer Jr.) led to the quarter in :26.2 before race favourite A Fair Ol Dance N (Nick Graffam) rushed to the lead and hit the half in :54.2. Then came the outer flow led by Colt Bennett (Mitchell Cushing) and followed by Wainapedia (Bruce Ranger) as the field paced in two rows to three-quarters in 1:22.4. After rounding the turn, Colt Bennett took the lead at the top of the stretch with Wainapedia two lengths behind. But that margin closed quickly as Wainapedia brushed with a rush and hit the line first in 1:52 to establish a career-best clocking. Colt Bennett finished three-quarters of a length back in second while Varney (Matty Athearn) closed from the backfield to nab the show honours over the favourite.
Wainapedia, an eight-year-old Western Maverick-Surreal Hanover gelding, is owned and trained by Michelle Hardin. Now two-for-seven on the season, he lifted his career win count to nine while his bankroll climbed to $161,980.
A $2 win ticket on Wainapedia returned a whopping $42.
Earlier in a $17,808 starter allowance, favourite Meadowbrook Flash ($3.60) was a gate-to-wire winner, posting quarters of :26.3, :55.4 and 1:23.3 before turning for home and holding off a tough Hollywood Skeeter (Nick Graffam) by a half-length in 1:52.2 with Kevin Switzer Jr. in the bike. The win was the 25th lifetime for Meadowbrook Flash, a nine-year-old Real Desire-Yankee Icon gelding trained by Catherine Bouthillier and owned by Marc Bouthillier.
The fastest mile of the day came in a $13,014 claiming event where Getheshowontheroad ($17.40) and Matty Athearn took the field to the half in :56 and then left them in his dust, coming home in :54.4 and hitting the wire on top by 6-1/4 lengths in a lifetime-best 1:50.4. The four-year-old son of Betting Line out of Come See The Show is trained by Zak Gray and owned by Robert Kluchevitz.
After registering a grand slam just one week ago at the Ridge, the “Friday Phenom” Mitchell Cushing was at it again as he scored a natural hat trick in races three through five on the card this afternoon.
Live harness racing will resume at Plainridge Park on Monday, June 9 at 4 p.m.
(With files from Standardbred Owners of Massachusetts)