Chalk bettors were scratching their heads on Thursday afternoon at Plainridge Park as horses they collectively overlooked continued to blow up the tote board during the day. And it started at the top in a pair of upsets in two $15,000 condition events that headlined the card.
The first feature saw Alex Having Fun (Drew Campbell) leave from post eight and go gate to wire in a personal best effort.
Campbell fired off the gate looking more like a favourite than the 25-1 shot he had with Alex Having Fun and was definitely on a mission today. After snapping off fractions of :26, :54.1 and 1:21 through the first three parts of the mile, Alex Having Fun had a two length lead in the last turn that he extended to four at the top of the stretch. Mcbeantown (Ron Cushing) who was tracking the leader from second the entire mile, popped out to take a shot, but Alex Having Fun was long gone by then and won in 1:50.3.
The time of 1:50.3 was a new lifetime mark for the gelding, knocking off a full two seconds from his previous best time that was taken at Plainridge on June 17.
It was the fourth win in the last six starts and fifth win overall this year for Alex Having Fun ($52.20) and his owner/trainer Kimberly Vafiades.
In the second division later in the card, Surreal Syrah (Matty Athearn) took a different route to victory but attained similar results.
Not having won in the last two years, being tabbed 30-1 morning line and let go by the betting public at 52-1 may have seemed an insurmountable task to some, but it didn’t faze “Matty Ice” as he took Surreal Syrah off the gate and settled her in fourth. After another longshot, Powered By Mach (Drew Monti), took the field to the half in a pedestrian :57.2, Athearn pulled Surreal Syrah second-over behind She’s A Fireball (Ron Cushing) who made a push for the lead heading up the backstretch. Those positions held true until the seven-eighths pole where Surreal Syrah was tipped three-deep off cover and paced clear by 1-1/4 lengths at the line to win in 1:54.1, which was a new lifetime mark.
In her first win of the year Surreal Syrah paid $107.20 to win. Dan Tuccillo owns and trains the winner along with Steal My Thunder (1:54.1, $4.00) who gave him a training double.
But Surreal Syrah was only one of Athearn’s hat trick of dark horse scores. He also won with Betting On Bobo (1:55.1, $22.60) and The Knights Shadow (1:56.2, $35.80) and both of those horses were trained by Gretchen Athearn who also had a training double. And just like Surreal Syrah, both of these wins were also new lifetime marks.
Racing resumes at Plainridge Park on Friday (July 30) at 4 p.m. and there will be a $17,603 carry over for the Wicked Hi-5 wager in the sixth race.
(Standardbred Owners of Massachusetts)