Gotta Love Cabot wins fourth in five

Plainville, MA —  Gotta Love Cabot and Marcus Seelster won co-featured $15,000 harness racing paces at Plainridge Park on Monday afternoon (Aug. 16) and both provided generous payoffs.

Gotta Love Cabot (Kevin Switzer Jr.) got away fourth off the gate and found herself fifth at the half while Powered By Mach (Drew Monti) tripped the clock at :56.1. The Malicious mare stayed at the pegs around the second turn before getting out third over up the backstretch behind Surreal Syrah (Matty Athearn) and Sara Tancredi (Nick Graffam).

Surreal Syrah overtook Powered By Mach at three-quarters and cleared at the top of the far turn. But at the same time, Switzer tipped three-deep off cover and was already tracking down the new leader. The mares squared off in deep stretch with Gotta Love Cabot getting a neck advantage at the line to upset at 12-1 in a new lifetime mark of 1:53.2.

It was the fourth win in the last five starts for Gotta Love Cabot ($26.60) who is owned by William Mc Elevain Jr. and trained by Elisha Lafreniere.

GOTTA LOVE CABOT REPLAY

Later in the all male division, Marcus Seelster (Shawn Gray) sat fifth most of the mile while Mcbeantown (Drew Monti) cut fractions of :26, :55.2 and 1:23.2. At that last station Marcus Seelster was still locked in fifth and had no room to roam at all.

One of the horses that had the son of Sunshine Beach pinned in was Star Island (Drew Campbell) who went three wide around the last turn to draw alongside the leader. This gave Marcus Seelster the chance to get out and Gray found some open road. As Star Island overtook Mcbeantown at the top of the stretch, Marcus Seelster was still two lengths off. But he switched gears and paced furiously to the wire and caught Star Island by a neck in 1:52.3.

MARCUS SEESLTER REPLAY

It was the second win in a row and fifth of the year for Marcus Seelster ($10.20) for owner the Jesmeral Stable. Sheena McIlhenny trains the winner.

Shawn Gray also won the two races prior to this win with Life Isa Shortwalk (1:53.2, $9.00) and Firstup (1:52.1, $14.60) to score the natural hat trick in the final three races of the day. Sheena McIlhenny also won the last two races making up both halves of the late double to lead all trainers on Monday.

Racing will resume at Plainridge on Thursday (Aug. 19) with post time at 4 p.m.

by Tim Bojarski, for the Standardbred Owners of Massachusetts