Plainridge: Burke, Ducharme post doubles in Massachusetts Sire Stakes

The second day of the $3 million Massachusetts Sire Stakes held at Plainridge Park on Tuesday (Sept. 26) featured 2-year-old performers of both gaits and genders and dominant winners prevailed in most of the events. The fillies went one $75,000 race each on the trot and pace while the colts and geldings had split divisions for both gaits that were valued at $40,000 apiece.

Ron Burke brought a pair to Plainridge and both were decisive winners. He started the day winning the $75,000 division for pacing fillies with Every Mans Dream (Always B Miki-Lindy's Nightmare) in one of the two non-betting events. Yannick Gingras got away second with Every Mans Dream and followed Beantown Ace (Scott Zeron) through quarters of 28 4/5, 58 and 1:27 2/5. When the race entered the last turn, Every Man's Dream exited the pocket and paced past Beantown Ace before they even hit the stretch. When Every Mans Dream turned for home, she sprinted away to a 2 3/4 length win in 1:55 1/5.

It was the fifth win of the year for Every Mans Dream, who is owned by Thomas Dillon and Scott Dillon. Lindy Farms of Connecticut bred the winner.

Dillon and Dillon also owned Burke's second victor, Rocknroll Lou (Sweet Lou-Beautiful Lady), who himself was a runaway winner in a $40,000 division for pacing males. Gingras went right to the front with Rocknroll Lou and controlled the race from there. With no solid threat from behind, Rocknroll Lou cruised on top by as many as four lengths and got to three-quarters in a tepid 1:28 2/5. Gingras hit the gas at the point, and Rocknroll Lou flew home in 27 1/5 to win by four in 1:55 4/5, getting his first lifetime win.

Rocknroll Lou ($2.20) was bred by Lester Gelardi and Anthony Passafaro.

The other $40,000 colt and gelding pace was won by Poker Sy (Captaintreacherous-Hidden Land), who also got his first lifetime victory. Jason Bartlett had an easy time taking the lead and then rated Poker Sy perfectly. After slowing the half to 1:00 1/5, Poker Sy scooted home in 57 2/5 to win by 10 1/2 lengths. Poker Sy ($2.10) is owned and bred by Jesmeral Stable and is trained by Christie Collins.

George Ducharme did his best work in the trots and captured both $40,000 divisions for colts and geldings.

The first win came with Keep Asking (Chapter Seven-Sensibility), who simply dominated his group in another non-betting event. Scott Zeron set a modest 59 2/5 half on the point and then opened up four lengths at three-quarters. Dashing around the turn, Keep Asking kept going and opened up a seven length gap at the line, winning in 1:59.

Keep Asking got his third win of the year for owners W.J. Donovan, Joe Sbrocco, Jim Winske and the George Ducharme Stable. Sbrocco, Winske and Ducharme also bred Keep Asking.

Ducharme's second score was with Foreign Moni (International Moni-Dancing Coed), who won by an even greater margin. Jay Randall sat chilly on top by a length with Foreign Moni through very even fractions of 30 1/5, 1:01 and 1:30 4/5 as International Law (Yannick Gingras) pushed the third panel after recovering from an earlier break. The pair spun around the last turn and then headed down the lane side-by-side until International Law made another break, leaving Foreign Moni home free by 9 1/2 lengths in 1:59.

Foreign Moni ($8.40) won his fourth in-a-row for the breeding and ownership team of Ducharne and Winske.

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The other $75,000 division was for filly trotters, and Dawn Of Lindy (Walner-Moni From Heaven) won in a hard-fought victory. Gingras got away third with Dawn Of Lindy while The Great CB (Jeff Gregory) and International Gift (Scott Zeron) traded leads to the quarter. After International Gift finally settled on the front, she led a single-file field to three-quarters where Dawn Of Lindy pulled from third and started towards the top. As they headed down the lane, International Gift was still on top, but Dawn Of Lindy was closing on the outside, while The Great CB was motoring up the pylons. As the wire drew closer, so did the trotters, and they hit the line with only a head separating all three, leaving the photo to show Dawn Of Lindy getting the nod for her first lifetime win in 1:57 3/5.

Dawn Of Lindy ($11.00) is owned by her trainer Paul Kelley along with Matt Lamonte, Thomas Pontone and Neil Goldstein. This was the third stake victory of the day for Gingras, but he added two overnight wins, giving him a five-bagger for the afternoon.

The Massachusetts Sire Stakes will reconvene at Plainridge Park on Monday (Oct. 2) at 2 p.m. when the second leg of 3-year-olds will go postward. The next live card of racing at Plainridge Park will be on Thursday (Sept. 28) at 2 p.m.

Log on to the Standardbred Owners of Massachusetts website at sominc.net or visit their Facebook page for information and updates as the stakes continue into October.

--press release (Standardbred Owners of Massachusetts)--