“Alex” had fun with 1:48.3 track record

Plainville, MA — Alex Having Fun (Rock N Roll Heaven) has been one of the best resident top-end pacers at Plainridge Park for several years now and the 9-year-old just hit his peak on Thursday (June 4) after he won the featured $25,000 Open Handicap pace in 1:48.3 in a major upset at 22-1, taking a new lifetime mark and setting a new harness racing track record for aged pacing geldings. 

Matty Athearn slid Alex Having Fun into the pocket behind a determined Jamaican Rock A (Chris Long), who flashed fast fractions of :25.4, :53.4 and 1:20.3 while Alex Having Fun drafted the entire time. Jamaican Rock A continued to lead as they entered the last turn, but before they spun out of it, Ahtearn had Alex Having Fun in the two-path and raging with pace. At the top of the stretch, Alex Having Fun blew by the leader and stretched out to an easy two length win in 1:48.3, setting the two marks.

ALEX HAVING FUN REPLAY

It was the third win in a row and 45th career tally for Alex Having Fun ($46.60) who is approaching a half-million in career earnings for owner/trainer Kimberly Vafiades.

A race later in the $25,000 upper-level conditioned pace, Hes Coming On (Mitchell Cushing) took a similar path to victory as he sat in the garden spot behind Stellar Yankee (Ron Cushing) to the half in :54.2 before Jettingtomalibu (Kevin Switzer Jr.) moved first-over and pushed the leader to three-quarters in 1:21.3. Positions remained unchanged to the top of the stretch where Hes Coming On found room at the pegs and bolted through to the lead and then held off the fast-closing Confederatestar N (Matty Athearn) to win by a neck in 1:50.1.

It was the second win in a row and fourth of the year for Hes Coming On ($20.80), who is owned by George Anthony Jr. and trained by Julia Eaton.

Two other notable performances saw horses take lifetime marks in upper-level conditioned action with purses of $22,000 and $22,500 respectively.

HES COMING ON REPLAY

Franco Tyson A ($39.40) won in 1:49.1 for owner/trainer/driver Larry Stalbaum and So Rock N Roll ($10.60) scored a 1:50.3 win with Nick Graffam at the lines for trainer Benson Merrill and owner Leighton Property.

Drivers Matty Athearn, Mitchell Cushing, Nick Graffam and Jay Randall, all had two wins apiece on Thursday while 10 different trainers each won one race on the program.

Racing resumes at Plainridge Park on Friday (June 5) at 4 p.m. and there will be a $36,280 carryover in the Wicked Hi-5 pentafecta wager in the sixth race.

Free full card past performance programs for every live card of racing at Plainridge Park can always be downloaded at their website (plainridgeparkcasino.com) under the “Racing” tab. You can also watch all the race replays on that same page.

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

by Tim Bojarski, for Plainridge Park