Brett Beckwith put on quite a show Tuesday afternoon (Sept. 5) at Plainridge Park after he won five races on the 11-race card, including a natural hat trick in the final three races of the day that included both feature events.
Those features were both $18,500 conditioned trots and both winners took personal marks in victory.
In the first, Beckwith got away sixth with Perfect Titan while Dewey Dog (Jim Hardy) and Harko (Matty Athearn) battled for over a half mile. At the five-eighths, Harko faded and the outerflow behind him was forced three-deep in order to advance. Perfect Titan was seventh at that point and was pushed four-wide as the field was entering the last turn. As the race passed three-quarters, Perfect Titan was flying around everyone and collared Dewey Dog before hitting the stretch. When he did finally straighten out, Perfect Titan was in Beckwith wraps and trotted home easily in 1:55.2, which was a new lifetime mark.
Perfect Titan ($5.60) is owned by S&K Misfit Racing and GMP Stables and is trained by Amanda Kelley.
Later in the second trot, Beckwith took no prisoners with Oh So Pine as he went right to the front and led at every station. After stopping the timer in :28.1, :57.1 and 1:25.4, Oh So Pine took a two-length lead into the far turn and turned back a late bid from Wallet (Nick Graffam) in the stretch to win in a personal season’s best, 1:55.1.
It was the fourth win of the year for Oh So Pine ($22), who is owned by Shark Racing Stable and trained by Larry Stalbaum.
Beckwith rounded out his quintuple with Dejerate Hanover (1:56.4, $3) and Okay (1:56.4, $2.80), who both took lifetime marks, and White Belly (1:52.2, $3.40).
The 20-year-old Beckwith is currently in his third full season of driving and it's already a career best for him with almost four months to go. Beckwith now has 273 wins, 205 seconds and 227 thirds in 2023 that have earned his connections just south of $2.8 million to date. At the current Plainridge meet, Beckwith sits third for wins with 80, behind only Bruce Ranger (107) and Matty Athearn (103). Beckwith is also the second leading dash driver at Saratoga Raceway where he has 133 wins.
Massachusetts-bred horses eligible for the $2.4 million Massachusetts Sire Stakes continue to get preliminary work before that series starts on Sept. 25. On Tuesday, the three-year-old Bravado (Nick Graffam) won the third race, which was a $15,000 conditioned event for younger trotters. Bravado was second-over in the outer flow going up the backside and tipped three-wide heading into the stretch. From there, Graffam never raised a line as Bravado trotted home on his own to stop the clock in 1:55.4, tying his lifetime mark taken earlier this year.
Bravado ($4.60) is owned by Ray Campbell Jr. and Al Ross and is trained by George Ducharme.
Live racing will resume at Plainridge Park on Thursday (Sept. 7) at 2 p.m.
(Standardbred Owners of Massachusetts)