Donny Richards gets 1,000th training win

Plainville, MA — When Ry’s Red Rocket (1:52.4, $4.60) won the 6th race at Plainridge Park on Thursday (Aug. 7) afternoon, Donny Richards registered his 1,000 career training win.

Richards is a multi-generational talent and has been continually active in harness racing since the Grand Circuit convened over the kite track at Old Orchard Beach. He has long been considered a master of breaking and driving colts and his success in Maine has been widely documented throughout his career.

RY’S RED ROCKET REPLAY

Richards started out with four horses of his own in 1945 and was stabled at Cumberland Fair. And from that base, he raced all over Maine for the next eight decades. After 18 years of racing only his own horses, Richards started racing a public stable. In 1980, Hall of Famer Ted Wing wanted him to take 10 horses for Lawrence Kadish and then he started training for Tom Dillon, Linwood Higgins and Ival Cianchette.

The Maine Sire Stakes started in 1972 and Richards was involved with the program pretty much from the start. Richards’ roster of Maine Sire Stake winners is too long to list, but is probably topped by SK Hurricane (p, 1:53, $176,567) who was a two-time Maine stake champion and 58-race winner. The rest of the estimated 400 horses Richards has campaigned over his career made their living the hard way: one overnight check at a time

Probably the best of those overnight horses Richards ever trained and drove was Postcard Jack (p, 1:55, $238,003) who won more races in Maine than any other horse ever did, or ever will: 72 wins in Maine and 77 victories overall.

Although he never competed in it himself, Richards had a major impact on the Hambletonian as he broke and trained three horses that raced in it: Creatine (1:51.2, $2,102,022), Hot Shot Blue Chip (1:51.2, $1,213,742) and Velocity Hall (1:56.3, $246,879).

Today at the age of 92, Richards has recorded 4,212 driving wins to go along with his 1,000 training victories and those tallies combined has generated just shy of $8.3 million in career earning

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

Millwood Bliss N, Morning Edition win Plainridge Opens

Plainville, MA — A pair of $25,000 Open races were featured at Plainridge Park on Thursday (Aug. 7) afternoon and both produced gate to wire winners.

First in the fillies and mares Open Handicap pace, Millwood Bliss N (Brett Beckwith) took the lead from Swedish Starlet N (Matty Athearn) and got the field to the half in :55.3. It was there Turn The Page N (Ron Cushing) pulled first-over and pushed the leader to a :27 flat third panel. The two mares continued to battle around the far turn but Millwood Bliss N (Sweet Lou) never gave in to Turn The Page N. As the race motored to the wire, Swedish Starlet N found room at the pegs and barrelled towards the leader. But Millwood Bliss N stayed tough, held off the challenge and hung on by a neck to win in 1:50.4, which was a new lifetime mark.

MILLWOOD BLISS REPLAY

Millwood Bliss N ($4.20) is owned by Tom Vassiliou, Cool Cat Racing, Nicholas Tallarico and Archie McNeil.

Then in the Open Handicap trot, Morning Edition (Shawn Gray) was outside on the lead passing the quarter in :27.1 and then got a nice breather to the half in :57 flat. An outer-flow formed heading into turn two, led by Platinum AS (Brett Beckwith) who drew within a length of the leader at three-quarters. Positions remained unchanged on the front around the last turn and into the stretch, where Morning Edition (Walner) turned back Platinum AS and then held off a late-closing A New Leader (Mitchell Cushing) to win by three-quarters of a length in 1:54.2.

MORNING EDITION REPLAY

Morning Edition ($6.00) is owned by Mark Jakubik and Douglas Overhiser and trained by Alicia Gray.

Bruce Ranger had a driving hat trick on Thursday, of which two winners were trained by Melissa Beckwith.

Live racing will resume at Plainridge Park on Monday (Aug. 11) at 4 p.m.

Free full past performance programs and race replays for all live racing days at Plainridge Park can be found at plainridgeparkcasino.com.

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

by Tim Bojarski, for Plainridge Park