Jim Hardy reaches 3,500 career wins

Plainville, MA — When Jim Hardy won the sixth race at Plainridge Park on Thursday (Sept. 12) afternoon with Poppy Wow (Crazy Wow) (1:56.1, $10.40), it gave him his 3,500th driving win in a harness racing career that has now spanned 40 years.

Hardy started driving in 1984 and got his first win with a horse named Presumably Swift at Foxboro Park, the track he drove regularly at from the beginning of his career until they closed in 1997. Hardy then moved on to regularly compete at Freehold Raceway, Scarborough Downs, Saratoga Raceway and Yonkers Raceway, until 1999 when Plainridge Park opened and he returned home to Massachusetts, where has been a staple ever since.

Known to many as “The Sheriff of Plainville”, Hardy had his winningest year in 2010 when he scored 191 victories and his most lucrative in 2023 when he went over the $1 million mark, earning $1,225,228 in purses.

At the current Plainridge meet, the 60-year-old native of Newburyport, Massachuhsetts is the sixth leading dash driver with 42 wins, 47 seconds and 50 thirds and has amassed earnings of $540,000.

Since he got started at the lines, Hardy has made 22,787 starts with 3,500 wins, 3,293 seconds and 3,358 thirds, giving him a 45% in the money rate and total purse earnings of $13,955,838 for his career.

Hardy also has another 1,065 wins as a trainer and has earned $4,358,527 in that capacity.

POPPY WOW REPLAY

The feature race on Thursday was the $25,000 Open Handicap pace where Alluneedisfaith N got a perfect trip and registered his fourth win of the year.

The Wild Card (Nick Graffam) took the lead from post one and marched the field to the half in :55.2 while Alluneedisfaith N tracked from second. Fourever Boy (Brett Beckwith) made the first move from behind and got to within a length of the leader at three-quarters.

But Fourever Boy’s bid failed in the turn and left The Wild Card and Alluneedisfaith N the clear contenders. When they straightened for the line, Alluneedisfaith N tipped and charged The Wild Card and eventually ran him down by one-quarter length to win in his season’s best 1:51.2.

ALLUNEEDISFAITH N REPLAY

Alluneedisfaith N ($28.60) is owned by Dougla Overhiser and Alicia Gray, who also trains the winner.

Live racing resumes at Plainridge Park on Monday (Sept. 16) at 2 p.m.

For complete race results, click here: US Trotting results.

by Tim Bojarski, for the Standardbred Owners of Massachusetts