Side Piece picks up the pieces in Open

Plainville, MA — After following a torrid first half, Side Piece (Shadow Play) shook loose and cleaned up late in the $25,000 Fillies and Mares Open Handicap pace at Plainridge Park on Monday (Sept. 2) afternoon.

Swedish Starlet N (Matty Athearn) took the lead off the gate and reached the quarter in :26.1. At that point, Racin Hungry (Brett Beckwith) had made an early move to the outside and was up to challenge the leader. The pair paced in tandem to the half in :53.2 and up the backstretch where Racin Hungry faded off before three-quarters and The Pantheist A (Shawn Gray) and Side Piece (Drew Monti) were the next to challenge. Swedish Starlet N continued to fight to the top of the stretch, but The Pantheist A went to the front, but then Side Piece came alongside her and eventually made her way to the lead and the win by a half length in 1:50.4.

It was the eighth win of the year for Side Piece ($9.60) who is owned by Janie Kellogg and trained by Jackie Greene.

It was one of three wins for Monti on the card.

Earlier in the $20,000 upper-level condition race for female pacers, Violets Rainbow (Matty Athearn) out-muscled Ry’s Red Rocket (Bruce Ranger) and Windydayatthebeach (Drew Monti) for the lead while passing the quarter in :26.4. Violets Rainbow continued a stiff pace to the half in :54.1 where Checkpoint Chatter (Always A Virgin, Jimmy Hardy) pulled first-over and started to gain.

Positions remained unchanged to three-quarters and into the turn, where it looked like the leader would get the job done. But as they turned for home, Checkpoint Chatter found another gear and forged past Violets Rainbow at the light to win by one-half length in 1:51.3, tying her lifetime mark.

Checkpoint Chatter ($11.60) is owned by Upland Farm and trained by Don Guidette Jr.

Driver Matty Athearn and trainer Jimmy Nickerson teamed up to win with three horses during the day.

Racing resumes at Plainridge Park on Tuesday (Sept. 3) at 2 p.m.

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

by Tim Bojarski, for the Standardbred Owners of Massachusetts