The most lucrative day in the history of Massachusetts-produced Standardbreds will be held on Monday (November 6) at Plainridge Park, as eight $90,000 divisions of first and second-year trotters and pacers will compete for a total of $720,000 in purses in the finals of the Massachusetts Sire Stakes.
The races have been carded as four non-betting (two before and two after the regular program) and four betting contests which have been carded as Races 1 through 4 on the pari-mutuel program. Post time for the first non-betting event is 12 noon. Post time for the regular card will be at 1 p.m. The final two non-betting races will begin after the last race of the regular program (at approximately 3:40 p.m.).
The finals will cap off a year that distributed a record total of $1.44 million in purses to the breeders, owners and horsemen of the Commonwealth, and as a result has produced substantial new interest in the Massachusetts Standardbred breeding program from participants of all racing jurisdictions.
George Ducharme’s stable is strongly represented in the finals and three of his entries look to be solid contenders for championship honors.
Bag O Chips (Sierra Kosmos-Heather Spur) has won all three of her starts by open lengths in the two-year-old trotting filly division. She heads into the final as the highest money earner as well, with $48,100 banked in her seven lifetime starts.
Onangelwings (Archangel-Anotherpennyplease) has had similar success with three wins in the series for three-year-old trotting fillies, two of which were by comfortable margins. She has earned $45,160 on the efforts of her four lifetime starts.
Muscles Jared (Muscle Massive-Tetiana) has raced well all year, in particular in the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes where he finished second in the $252,000 final in September. He won his first MASS event for three-year-old trotting colts and geldings by eight lengths in 1:55.3, which set a new stakes record before finishing second in the other two. He will head into his Monday assignment with $176,990 in the bank for the year and $327,846 lifetime.
Julie Miller happens to train the horse that beat him in those two events, and his name is Big Man Ev.
Big Man Ev (Chapter Seven-Possessed By Lindy) won the two MASS legs he entered in convincing fashion – the first by six lengths in a stakes and track record time of 1:54.3 and the second by five lengths in 1:55.3. He was a star in the New York Sire Stakes Excelsior ‘A’ series this year where he won six of those legs and finished second in the $45,000 final between his two starts at Plainridge. He has $97,300 on his card this year and $186,921 lifetime.
Frank Antonacci’s Lindy Farms also has two formidable participants and he looks to sweep those divisions as well.
Lindy The Kid (Artistic Fella-Lindys Bandita) has been fearless in the three-year-old pacing colts and geldings’ division, going three for three in the series coming into the final. He has the best mark (1:54) and highest earnings ($49,175) of the field and certainly looks like the one to beat.
Kinda Lucky Lindy (Lucky Chucky-Kinda Crazy Lindy) heads the field for two-year-old trotting colts and geldings and comes in with two wins in his three series starts. Prior to racing in the MASS, Kinda Lucky Lindy faced tough competition in the NYSS and in the Champlain and Wellwood Stakes at Mohawk Racetrack. He looks to bounce back here from his defeat to Hashtagmadeyalook (Chapter Seven-Royalty Free) who tripped-out and caught him at the wire in last week’s third leg.
Kevin Switzer has a pair of freshman pacers who are favoured to win their respective divisions and have already proven they can do it.
Rock Me Threetimes (Rock N Roll Heaven-Love Rocks) broke her maiden in an overnight before finishing second and third in the first two legs of the MASS. Last week she threw her best lifetime mile, winning in 1:54 from off the pace defeating Heidi Rohr’s Delco Dusty (Jeremes Jet-Gypsys Good Girl) who won the first leg in a stakes and track record time of 1:53. It’s interesting to note that Rock Me Threetimes finished second to Delco Dusty in that race by only a length.
Im a Clown (Im Gorgeous-Lordy Miss Scarlet) scored a win and two seconds in the two-year-old pacing colts and geldings’ division and will probably use his speed to set the fractions in the final. He will have his work cut out for him, though, as Eddie Davis Jr.’s Twelve (Shady Character-Sabine Hanover) has two series wins of his own and Scott Renz’s Latent Print (Camluck-Affluence) actually beat him in the final leg two weeks ago.
The three-year-old pacing fillies’ race looks like it could be one of the closest events of the day, as three of the entrants have been duking it out the entire series.
Mike Graffam’s Spoxys Girl (Neutralize-Royal Ribbons) has a win and two seconds in the MASS besides having racked up a lot of purse money in the Maine-bred stakes as well. She is the fastest (1:55.1) and richest ($75,772) of the field, but was beaten by Robert Marston’s Tanzanite Love (Im Gorgeous-Love Rocks) by a head last week. Kevin Switzer’s Delaware Heat (Western Ideal-Shady Sabrina) has not won a MASS event this year, but has finished second and third in her last two starts by a half-length and a neck, respectively.
(Standardbred Owners of Massachusetts)