Thursday afternoon’s card at Plainridge Park will see a large number of Massachusetts-bred trotters go postward and will provide an early look at some of the horses that will be competing in the $2.5 million (est.) Massachusetts Sire Stakes that begin at The Ridge on Sunday, Sept. 25.
The $15,000 Wood End Light in the fourth race is for two-year-old trotters and features a field of eight -- five of which were bred in Massachusetts.
Longtime Massachusetts breeders Ray Campbell Jr. and Al Ross have a total of three entries in the race and all are trained by Walpole, Massachusetts native George Ducharme, who has been competing in this series for decades.
Bravado (Trixton-Grits N Grits) is a brother to the Massachusetts-bred 2013 Hambletonian champion Royalty For Life (1:51.3, $1,628,649). He has three lifetime starts and finished second twice while making a break in the third. He too won a qualifying race at Vernon Downs in 2:02 by 5-1/2 lengths but has yet to break through in a pari-mutuel event.
Get The Picture (Trixton-Royalty Free) is a sister to the Massachusetts-bred and two-time Massachusetts Sire Stakes champion Hashtagmadeyalook (1:52.3, $403,126) and Massachusetts Sire Stakes champion Crystalline (1:55.2, $187,626). She has only made one unsuccessful lifetime start to date but comes into this race off a sharp third place finish in a qualifier at Vernon, timed in 1:59.4.
RFLs Jasper (Royalty For Life-Just Like This) has seen the most action of the three with six starts, three of which came in the Ontario Sire Stakes at Woodbine Mohawk Park. He just got beat in a maiden race at Plainridge two weeks ago after cutting the mile in 1:58.2 to finish second by only a neck.
The early favourite in the race is The Wise One (Muscle Hill-Grandmas Moni), who is owned and was bred by the Moni Maker Stable and is trained by Domenico Cecere. This filly made her first lifetime start at Plainridge last week and was beaten only 2-3/4 lengths in 1:58.3. She did win a qualifying race the week prior in 1:59.1 by 6-3/4 lengths to take that lifetime mark.
Finally, an as of yet unproven starter is the filly Poppy Wow (Crazy Wow-Tori Hall), who has three state-bred brothers. Pirate (1:55.1, $116,727), Tobasco (1:55.4, $187,348) and Raybarnz (1:53.3, $149,345) have all competed in the Massachusetts Sire Stakes and continue to race at Plainridge as aged horses. Poppy Wow has only made two qualifying starts for trainer/driver Ivan Davies and completed both outings smoothly and looks to keep improving for owner/breeders Earl and Kathy Beaman.
There are also three Massachusetts-bred and stakes eligible three-year-old trotters making their final tune-up appearances on Thursday in three overnight races on the program.
In the first race, Moms Cash (Cash Hall-Ksenia) is a sister to Massachusetts Sire Stakes champion Do What You Dream (1:57.2, $131,484) and two-time Massachusetts Sire Stakes champion Simple Kaos (1:54.3, $255,480). Unraced at two and one of only two fillies in this race, Moms Cash (pictured above) just went the race of her life last week, winning in 1:59.3 in her fourth lifetime start after being race timed in 1:58 and change in three consecutive previous outings. Wally Watson will drive the Lisa Watson-trained Moms Cash for owner Joel Wheeler. Michelle Larson bred the filly.
The other filly in that race is Shesaworkout (Whataworkout-Final Time), who also was unraced at two and has four lifetime starts, however, she has yet to win a race. Her best clocking of 1:59 came in a maiden race that saw her finish 3-1/2 lengths behind both Moms Cash and RFLs Jasper. Trainer Joe Flynn, who bred her along with Ed Flynn, looks for his filly to continue to build on her work and has Mike Stevenson in the bike once again.
In the third race, Wonderwall Lindy (Walner-Lindysleadinglady) is another George Ducharme pupil that was a major factor in the MASS last year scoring two wins and two seconds in the series. She was beaten only a neck in the final by stablemate Tennessee Lindy and was actually the highest money earning two-year-old trotting filly in the Massachusetts stakes in 2022 ($77,500). She has only two starts so far this year and was just race timed in 1:55.3 at Vernon Downs in a qualifier last week. The partnership of Winske, Winske, Michaels and Cluff have this one pointed towards another successful run in the MASS and it starts here with regular driver Jay Randall aboard. Lindy Farms of Connecticut bred the filly.
Then in the sixth race, Grits N Trix (Trixton-Bourbon N Grits) only had two starts at two with only $375 in earnings to show, but has a very different story to tell this year. Also a sister to Royalty For Life and a full sister to Bravado, Grits N Trix is currently riding a four-race win streak and could very well run it to five in here. With a sharp 1:56.1 lifetime mark taken at Vernon Downs on Aug. 5, Grits N Trix will be the wild card in the three-year-old trotting filly division this year that early on, looks to be one of the most competitive of the eight overall divisions. She comes from the Ducharme, Campbell and Ross tree and is poised to make a run this year.
The $2.5 million (est.) Massachusetts Sire Stakes begin on Sunday, Sept. 25 and run through Monday, Oct. 24 when all eight finals will be held. There are 83 two-year-old and 76 three-year-old trotters and pacers eligible this year and the connections of all 159 horses have the following dates circled on their calendars:
- Sunday, Sept. 25 - three-year-old first leg
- Monday, Sept. 26 - two-year-old first leg
- Sunday, Oct. 2 - three -year-old second leg
- Monday, Oct. 3 - two-year-old second leg
- Sunday, Oct. 16 - two-year-old third leg
- Monday, Oct. 17 - three-year-old third leg
- Monday, Oct. 24 - two and three-year-old finals
(Standardbred Owners of Massachusetts)