Hudson Phil in charge at Plainridge

Plainville, MA — He worked to get the lead but once he did, Hudson Phil (Shanghai Phil) finished the job as he won the $20,000 feature pace at Plainridge Park on Tuesday afternoon (May 24).

Cigars And Port (Wally Watson), JK Will Power (Kevin Switzer Jr.) and Hudson Phil (Jay Randall) all argued for the front with Hudson Phil coming out on top past the :26.4 quarter. From there the classy 7-year-old got things his own way. He got to the half in :55.2 and three-quarters in 1:23.2 with no pressure from behind. With a 1-½ length lead, Hudson Phil turned for home and would not let the tripping JK Will Power get to him, hanging on to win in 1:51.2.

SHANGHAI PHIL REPLAY

It was the 38th lifetime win for Hudson Phil ($4.40) who is owned by Kellogg Racing Stables and trained by Jackie Greene.

A pair of $17,500 conditioned paces complimented the day’s feature. In the first, Alta Madeira N (Alta Christiano N) took the lead at the quarter in :26.4 for Jay Randall and kept up a fast tempo from there. Adashious Hanover (Drew Monti) pulled first-over past the half and Amini (Bruce Ranger) followed as they pushed the third quarter to 1:23.2. But coming into the stretch, Alta Madeira N was strong and paced home the best by ¾ length, tying her lifetime mark of 1:52.2.

ALTA MADEIRA N REPLAY

Owned by Michael Spaccarelli and trained by Rob Harmon, Alta Madeira N returned $4.40.

Driver Jay Randall also won with Waimac Attack N (1:52.1, $4.00) to finish the day with a hat trick. Trainer Rob Harmon trained Waimac Attack N, and that gave him a training double.

The second of the two $17,500 races was won by Rockin The Blaze (Sweet Lou) who did what he does every week; win gate to wire. After grabbing the lead for Bruce Ranger, Rockin The Blaze clipped off quarters of :26.3, :56.1 and 1:23.3 while Quick Shot (Matty Athearn) tried to stay close. Heading for home, Ranger kept Rockin The Blaze on task and cruised to a 1-¼ length, 1:51.3 win.

ROCKIN THE BLAZE REPLAY

It was the seventh victory of the year for Rockin The Blaze ($5.40) who is owned by Howard Jacobs and trained by Melissa Beckwith.

There is a large and growing carryover of $12,577 in the Wicked Hi-5 pentafecta for race six on Thursday (May 26) when racing resumes at Plainridge Park at 4 p.m. Free full past performance race programs for all live race days can be downloaded by visiting the track’s website at plainridgeparkcasino.com and clicking the “Racing” tab.

For complete race results, click here.

by Tim Bojarski, for the Standardbred Owners of Massachusetts