Swedish Starlet N grabbed the lead early and battled off Always Bstunning N to capture the featured $34,722 Fillies and Mares Open Handicap Pace at Plainridge Park on Thursday, Sept. 11.
Matty Athearn sent Swedish Starlet N past Fighting Evil (Nick Graffam) to the lead and settled on the point before the :26.2 quarter. On the way to the half in :55, Kevin Switzer Jr. was out and rolling with Always Bstunning N, who engaged Swedish Starlet N as they headed up the backstretch, where an epic duel ensued.
Swedish Starlet N and Always Bstunning N were alongside each other at three-quarters in 1:23, pacing in tandem around the far turn and into the stretch. When they straightened out for home, the battle continued with Always Bstunning N pressing from the outside and Swedish Starlet N responding at the pylons. Always Bstunning N continued to fight all the way to the line, but Swedish Starlet N refused to lose and tripped the beam on top by a head in 1:51, matching her best seasonal time. Millwood Bliss N (Brett Beckwith) was third.
Swedish Starlet N ($8) improved to five-for-17 this year for owners Tim Bojarski and Tony Gruppo. Jimmy Nickerson was the winning trainer of the eight-year-old daughter of Mach Three-Top Of The Pile. The mare has compiled a record of 28 victories and $477,129 in earnings in 107 lifetime attempts.
Later, in the $31,250 top conditioned trot, International Law (Shawn Gray) floated outside fifth, waiting for the :27.4 front-end dust-up between Busting With Pride (Bruce Ranger) and Wall Street Edge (Beckwith) to smooth itself out. Once Wall Street Edge gained control, Gray let International Law trot on and take command of the race before the midway point in :55.4. Bill Bauer (Nick Graffam) was next up to challenge and moved alongside International Law as they entered the backstretch.
The pair then matched strides to three-quarters in 1:25.4, around the far turn, and all the way down the stretch. However, Bill Bauer never gained the lead as International Law hung tough and won by a half-length in 1:54.4. Busting With Pride was third. International Law ($8.40) is owned by Ervin Miller Stable Inc. and Douglas Overhiser and trained by Alicia Gray. The four-year-old International Moni-Love N Lindy gelding is six-for-33 lifetime with $286,858 in the bank.
Nick Graffam and Mitchell Cushing both had hat tricks at the lines while trainer Wil Dubois won two races.
The day of racing also featured three $24,306 divisions of the Romper Room, which are offered to get early work in for some of the two-year-olds targeted to start in the Massachusetts Breeders Stakes starting later this month.
The first was a trot held as a non-betting event before the card began, and the Massachusetts-bred Geologic tripped out to victory in 1:57.1. After sitting the pocket to three-quarters, Beckwith tipped Geologic to draw alongside Fairytale Moni (Nick Graffam), and the two matched strides all the way to the wire, where Geologic got the win by a nose. Majestic Dutchess (Kevin Switzer Jr.) completed the field of three. Geologic, a son of Captain Corey-Crystalline, is trained by Paul Kelley and owned by Paul Kelley Racing Stable, Go For Glory Stable LLC, Matthew Lamont, and VIP Internet Stable LLC.
In the first of the two paces, Lyons Blewbyu ($5.80) moved at the half and won with a strong effort. Jim Hardy got the son of Lyonssomewhere-So Rude in gear from fifth past the midway point, and the gelding out-duelled Altair Blue Chip (Jimmy Whittemore) in the final quarter to prevail by a neck in 1:54.1. Beantown Dragon (Nick Graffam) was third. Lyons Blewbyu is owned by Roger Arventos and trained by Don Guidette Jr.
The Massachusetts-bred Forwhomthebeltolls ($2.80) took victory in a gate-to-wire effort in the second pacing split. The Huntsville-Lightning Ride filly scored by three-quarters of a length in 1:56.4 for driver Heath Campbell. Seafood Treasure (Beckwith) finished second but was placed third, which elevated Bettors Gold (Nick Graffam) to the place spot. Forwhomthebeltolls is owned by The Ok Corral and trained by George Ducharme.
The 2025 Massachusetts Breeders Stakes will begin at Plainridge Park on Monday, Sept. 29 and feature the best state-bred two- and three-year-olds in three preliminary legs before it closes out in the finals, in a program that is valued at $2.4 million USD.
(With files from the Standardbred Owners of Massachusetts)