Massachusetts-bred trotters had a big day at Plainridge Park on Tuesday afternoon (Sept. 12) with both young and old participants hitting the winner’s enclosure. Domenico Cecere and Bruce Ranger shared in the wealth on the card with Cecere posting a training triple and Ranger having five driving wins for the day.
First, the two-year-old gelding Foreign Moni (International Moni-Dancing Coed) got his third win in a row in the $10,000 Romper Room Series after a first-over move that saw him claim the win by 1-3/4 lengths in a new lifetime best of 1:59.2. Foreign Moni ($4.20) is owned by his trainer George Ducharme in partnership with Jim Winske.
Then in the $11,000 condition race for younger trotters, the three-year-old colt Te Amo Lindy (Muscle Hill-Lovely Lindy) flew down the lane from fourth for Bruce Ranger and made up a three-length deficit en route to a 1:58.1 win. Te Amo Lindy ($2.10) is owned by K R Breeding and trained by Domenico Cecere.
Ranger and Cecere were far from done. They also won with the three-year-old filly Milliondollarwall (Walner-Moms Millionaire), who was parked from just before the half to the last turn, before straightening out for the wire where she won by 1-1/2 lengths in 1:56.2. Milliondollarwall ($14) is owned by the Moni Maker Stable.
Three of the day’s victors will be competing in the $2.5 million (est.) Massachusetts Sire Stakes that start on Sept. 25.
Cecere had one more Massachusetts-cred winner up his sleeve but this one competed in the Massachusetts Sire Stakes three years ago. But now at age six, Marquis Lafayette is one of the top Open trotters on the grounds and he proved it once again on Tuesday after winning the $25,000 Winners-Over feature race.
Ranger got away fourth in the scratch-shortened field of five and stayed there until the half, where he pulled and advanced towards the front-running Big Al M (Matty Athearn). Once the two horses engaged at three-quarters, they trotted in lock-step around the last turn, into the stretch and all the way to the wire where Marquis Lafayette won the war by a neck in 1:53.3.
Marquis Lafayette ($5.80) accounted for Cecere’s training triple with his fourth win of the year for owner Greathorse.
Ranger went on to win two more races with Robert Kenney-trained trotters Barmaid Express (1:58, $8.20), who is also Massachusetts-bred, and Jericho (1:57.2, $7.40) to round out his five-bagger.
Live racing will resume at Plainridge Park on Thursday, Sept. 14 at 2 p.m. and there will be a $2,303 carryover in the Wicked Hi-5 pentafecta wager in race six.
(With files from Standardbred Owners of Massachusetts)