Massachusetts Breeders Stake kicks off Monday

Plainville, MA — The $3 million (est.) Massachusetts Breeders Stake will begin its 2024 harness racing season at Plainridge Park on Monday (Sept. 23). The series features three preliminary legs for first and second year trotters and pacers who were foaled in the state with each leg valued at $75,000. The series will culminate on Thursday (Oct. 24) when eight $150,000 (est.) finals will be contested.

There are 177 eligible horses this year — — 107 2-year-olds and 70 3-year-olds — and representatives from that group have already won 124 races this year that include both overnights and stakes in other jurisdictions including New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky and Maine.

Monday’s card will see 34 3-year-olds compete in five races for a total of $305,000 and will feature some of last year’s 2-year-old champions, in particular Keep Asking (Chapter Seven-Sensibility) and Every Man’s Dream (Always B Miki-Lindy’s Nightmare).

Trotting colt Keep Asking swept the Massachusetts Breeders Stake last year after having a great run in the New York Sire Stakes as well, and is attempting to do the same thing this year. Keep Asking was again a multi-leg winner in the NYSS in 2024 and finished fifth in that final. He comes into the MASB with $181,386 already on his card and will look to add to it over the course of the next month.

Pacing filly Every Man’s Dream was a seven-time winner at two, having won multiple stakes in Kentucky before winning three of four legs and the final in Massachusetts. This year, she has been racing successfully in Kentucky, especially recently were she registered four straight board hits behind narrow margins of victory. However her first win didn’t come until her last start. A lifetime best, 1:50.2 romp in the $50,000 final of the Kentucky Goldenrod Series. She is the one to beat in her division.

There will be 37 2-year-olds in seven races on Tuesday for a total purse of $315,000. Many of the starters have only a handful of lifetime starts, but there are four 2-year-old male pacers who have already become quite accomplished this year.

McCusker (Cattlewash-Robocall Hanover) just won the $240,000 New Jersey Sire Stake final at The Meadowlands on August 22 in a lifetime-best clocking of 1:51.3 and his $135,400 in earnings this year is the highest among all of his peers entered this week.

Silent Weapon (Huntsville-D D Delightful) made five starts in the NYSS finishing with a win, two seconds and two checks which put him in the final. Unfortunately he was scratched from that race, so this will be his first start back in action.

Digging For Gold (Huntsville-Gold Orchid N) was a perfect four for four in the NYSS Excelsior series before finishing second in that final. He took his lifetime mark of 1:52.4 over the five-eighths oval at Tioga Downs and is poised to make some noise at Plainridge week one.

Jon I Love Dat (Downbytheseaside-Franney Love Dat) won a leg of the Buckeye Stallion Series at Northfield Park in July, but he made a trip to Plainridge last week to acquaint himself with the track. That trip ended up in a lifetime mark while setting a new track record of 1:52.1 for 2-year-old pacing colts. It appears he’s ready for action.

Here is a complete schedule for this year’s Massachusetts Sire Stakes. Post time for all race days is 2 p.m. Any non-betting races will be held prior to the first pari-mutuel race.

Monday (Sept 23)

3-year-old First Leg

Tuesday (Sept 24)

2-year-old First Leg

Monday (Sept 30)

3-year-old Second Leg

Tuesday (Oct 1)

2-year-old Second Leg

Monday (Oct 14)

2-year-old Third Leg

Tuesday (Oct 15)

3-year-old Third Leg

Thursday (Oct 24)

2 and 3-year-old Finals

by Tim Bojarski, for the Standardbred Owners of Massachusetts