Record mile for Blue Knight in Open Trot

Plainville, MA — Working off of a picture-perfect harness racing drive, Blue Knight (Muscle Mass) went the mile of his life to capture the $20,000 Open Handicap trot at Plainridge Park on Thursday afternoon (July 7).

Drew Campbell sent Blue Knight to the front and parked Angel Nation (Brett Beckwith) to the quarter in :27.3. Now sitting in the pocket, Blue Knight drafted to the half while Remember Titans (Jay Randall) came first up to push the leader even further as Blue Knight still tracked both.

When Angel Nation started to fade heading to three-quarters, Remember Titans cleared the front and Blue Knight dropped in second once again to save ground around the last turn. When the race hit the top of the stretch, Campbell tipped Blue Knight and drove him confidently to the line where he caught Remember Titans by a neck in 1:53.4 to register a new lifetime mark with the win.

It was the second victory in a row for Blue Knight ($16.60) for owner/trainer Richard Mason.

BLUE KNIGHT REPLAY

The $15,000 secondary feature trot saw Wily Wally (Walner) and driver Bruce Ranger control the race from start to finish. After grabbing an early lead, Ranger backed the half off to a mere :59.1 with no early opposition. Then Fast N Mighty (Jay Randall) pulled first up and pushed the fractions from there. The two trotters took the field to the top of the stretch where Wily Wally trotted away to a 1-½ length victory in 1:56.3.

It was the second straight win for Wily Wally ($2.60) who is owned by Lindy Farms of Connecticut and Robert Rudolf. Domenico Cecere is the conditioner.

WILLY WALLY REPLAY

Bruce Ranger and Kevin Switzer Jr. both had three wins on the card while trainers Elisha Lafreniere and Domenico Cecere each registered a double.

Live racing resumes at Plainridge Park on Monday afternoon (July 11) with post time at 4 p.m. Free full past performance race programs for all live race days can be downloaded by visiting the track’s website by clicking here and clicking the “Racing” tab.

For complete race results, click here.

by Tim Bojarski, for the Standardbred Owners of Massachusetts