The draw is complete and a full field of nine top-flight Open trotters will go postward in the $250,000 USD Spirit of Massachusetts Trot at Plainridge Park on Sunday afternoon, July 21.
Heading the list of starters is last year's Spirit champion and double millionaire, Its Academic, will be back to try and repeat for trainer Ron Burke along with his stablemate Chapercraz, who just won the $582,192 Hambletonian Maturity at the Meadowlands last Saturday, July 13.
The field also includes the Massachusetts-bred and two-time Massachusetts Sire Stakes champion Incommunicado, Helpfirstedition, who finished only one-half length behind Chapercraz in the Hambo Maturity, and one of the best trotters in Canada, Logan Park, who has been dominant in Preferred company at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
The $100,000 USD Clara Barton Distaff Pace also boasts a pair of millionaires, Sylvia Hanover and Grace Hill, who just finished third and fourth, respectively, in the $140,000 USD Dorothy Haughton at the Meadowlands, also last Saturday.
The Clara Barton will go as race seven with a post time of 4 p.m. and the Spirit of Massachusetts Trot is carded as race nine with a post time of 4:40 p.m. Post time for the first race on Sunday is 2 p.m.
Here are the full fields for each event:
$250,000 USD Spirit of Massachusetts Trot
Post - Horse - Listed Driver - Trainer
1. Buddy Earl - Matty Athearn - Gretchen Athearn
2. Logan Park - Doug McNair - Rob Fellows
3. Esplosione - Doug McNair - Rob Fellows
4. Take All Comers - Todd McCarthy - Jim Campbell
5. Chapercraz - Yannick Gingras - Ron Burke
6. Its Academic - David Miller - Ron Burke
7. Delayed Hanover - Jordan Stratton - Kevin McDermott
8. Incommunicado - Ake Svanstedt - Ake Svanstedt
9. Helpfirstedition - Scott Zeron - Linda Toscano
$100,000 USD Clara Barton Distaff Pace
Post - Horse - Listed Driver - Trainer
1. Sylvia Hanover - Tim Tetrick - Mark Steacy
2. Sweet Cheyanne - Scott Zeron - Jeff Cullipher
3. Beach Cowgirl - David Miller - Ron Burke
4. Talk Curdy To Me David Miller Jeff Cullipher
5. Always B Naughty - Andrew McCarthy - Nancy Takter
6. Grace Hill - Doug McNair - Virgil Morgan Jr.
7. Valar Dohaeris - Tim Tetrick - Ake Svanstedt
The high-powered card will also feature the $75,000 USD Bert Beckwith Invitational Pace, $50,000 USD John Hogan Memorial Pace, $25,000 USD Frank Dubreuil Memorial Pace and $22,500 Elmer Smith Memorial Pace. All told, the card will offer in excess of $600,000 USD in purses.
(Plainridge Park)