This Is The Plan Upsets Second Breeders Crown Soph Colt Pace Elim

By Ray Cotolo, for the Breeders Crown
 
WILKES-BARRE, PA — Somebeachsomewhere gelding This Is The Plan powered to the front early and wired his competition with a 1:51 performance to take the second of three $25,000 Breeders Crown eliminations for three-year-old colt and gelding pacers at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono on Saturday, Oct. 20.
 
The Ron Burke trainee slid to the top from post seven with I’m A Big Deal securing the pocket to a :26.4 quarter. Courtly Choice, sent the 4-5 favorite and positioned fourth to the quarter, angled first over and ranged into second heading to a :55.4 half.
 
Courtly Choice continued to pressure This Is The Plan heading past three-quarters in 1:23.1 before giving way into the final turn. This Is The Plan spun into the stretch and sprinted to the wire under pursuit from I’m A Big Deal chasing to finish second ahead of American History, circling past Courtly Choice from second over, closed for third.
 
Winning his third race in 16 starts this season and his fifth in 29 overall, This Is The Plan, out of the Western Ideal mare That’s The Plan, competes for owners Burke Racing Stable LLC, Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Silva Purnel and Libby and Lawrence Karr. Yannick Gingras drove the gelding bred by Moni Market Breeders and paid $18.80 to win.