Records tumble in Paul Revere Pace at Plainridge
May 4, 2023, by Tim Bojarski, for Plainridge Park
Tom Melanson photos.
Plainville, MA — The $100,000 Paul Revere Pace, for 3-year-olds, was held at Plainridge Park on Thursday afternoon (May 4) and featured a select group of speedy side-wheelers that went to post in two $50,000 divisions and set new stakes and track records.
The first leg was won by Thunder Hunter Joe (Huntsville-Thunder Angel), who followed fast early fractions to capture a career best win.
Peppermint Man (driven by Mitch Cushing) played hardball with Metal Man (Greg Merton), parking him to the quarter in :25.3 before yielding for the pocket. After working clear, Metal Man continued the torrid pace with a :54 half while Ben Solo (Dexter Dunn) pulled first-over and Thunder Hunter Joe (Tyler Buter) followed loosely in the outer flow.
Ben Solo cleared at the five-eighths while Thunder Hunter Joe continued to grind in the breeze. Positions remained unchanged around the last turn and Ben Solo took a gapped advantage into the stretch. Buter started to get after Thunder Hunter Joe to make up the difference, and the gelding responded enthusiastically. Thunder Hunter Joe paced hard in the lane and got the jump at the line, winning by three-quarters of a length in 1:51, a new lifetime mark for the winner and also a new stakes record.
It was the second win in as many 2023 starts for Thunder Hunter Joe ($6.00), who is owned by DeVita Racing Stable, David Hamm, Glenn Phillips and Christopher Giaccio. Nicholas DeVita trains the winner, who was bred by Heather Zitone.
The second division went to Caviart Scotland (American Ideal-Darlin’s Delight), who led at every station to claim his first lifetime win and set some records of his own.
Driver Josert Fonseca pushed Caviart Scotland off the gate and to the lead, seating Sheer Terror (Bret Beckwith) and Goldin Greatness (Dexter Dunn) in the process. Everyone paced in place through a :26.4 quarter and :54.2 half before Dunn tipped Goldin Greatness off the pylons nearing the five-eighths. Goldin Greatness advanced quickly and drew alongside Caviart Scotland in the final bend.
Halfway through the turn, Fonseca popped the plugs on his charge, and Caviart Scotland responded and shifted gears. At the seven-eighths pole, Caviart Scotland started to pull away from Goldin Greatness and, with no other challenge imminent, Caviart Scotland headed for home under a line drive and cruised to a 2-1/4-length victory in 1:50.3.
The winning time was a new lifetime mark for Caviart Scotland, reset the stakes record from the first leg and also broke the track record for 3-year-old pacing colts at Plainridge Park.
Caviart Scotland ($15.80) is owned by Caviart Farms and trained by Nancy Takter. White Birch Farms bred the winner.
The old stakes record for the Paul Revere Pace was 1:52.1, set by Groovy Man in 2022 at Plainridge, Park and the previous track record of 1:51.1 for 3-year-old pacing colts was held jointly by Shoobee’s Place (2010) and Sports Obsession (2020).
Live racing at Plainridge Park resumes on Monday (May 8) at 4 p.m.
