Outside cover key to Open Trot triumph

Plainville, MA — After starting slow and finishing fast, Sidd Finch (Credit Winner) won his sixth race of the year in capturing the $20,000 Open trotting harness racing feature at Plainridge Park on Thursday afternoon (May 23).

Jim Hardy took Sidd Finch off the gate to sixth while Yucatan Party Man (Mitchell Cushing) wrestled the lead from Big Al M (Matty Athearn) and Big Box Hanover (Larry Stalbaum) after a three-horse, :27.3 melee to the quarter. The respite was brief for Yucatan Party Man as the outer flow formed heading to the half when Nothingbutadreamer (Brett Beckwith) and Sidd Finch led the charge in the breeze heading into the backstretch.

Nothingbutadreamer reached Yucatan Party Man at the five-eighths and Sidd Finch was right on his helmet and stayed there until the top of the last turn. That’s when Hardy tipped three-deep off cover and started to accelerate. At the top of the stretch, Sidd Finch was clear of Yucatan Party Man, but Big Al M had also cleared that one at the pylons and was trotting up a storm. Sidd Finch had the lead, but Big Al M was closing fast, however in the end not fast enough. Sidd Finch hung on by one-half length to win in 1:55.

With the win, Sidd Finch ($15.80) crossed the quarter-million-dollar mark for lifetime earnings (now showing $256,884) for owner John Barnard. Irwin Rosenthal trains the winner.

SIDD FINCH REPLAY

Earlier in the $17,000 conditioned trot, Enola (Resolve) and driver Heath Campbell) captured her fourth win in only five Plainridge starts this year after moving from fifth with cover from Emmajean Jellybean (Steve Wilson) at five-eighths in pursuit of the front-running Cruising Tom (Matty Athearn). Enola followed her mark until tipping three-wide as they started turning for home and kicked into gear.

It was a three-horse dash the entire stretch with Cruising Tom battling the mares, Emmajean Jellybean and Enola. The cavalry charge went right to the wire where Enola bested her competition by a neck in 1:55.2, giving her a new lifetime mark.

Enola ($31.00) is owned by Burke Racing and Weaver Bruscemi and is trained by Joe Nelson.

ENOLA REPLAY

There was a big winner of the Wicked Hi-5 pentafecta in the sixth race when the single unique combination of 8-5-6-4-2 returned $7,483.39 for the 20-cent wager.

Bruce Ranger had a driving hat trick during the card while 11 different trainers each won one race apiece.

Racing resumes at Plainridge Park on Monday (May 27) with post time at 4 p.m.

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

by Tim Bojarski, for the Standardbred Owners of Massachusetts