Two weeks ago on Sunday (July 21), Torrid Saint A finished third to Big Skewy N in the $104,167 Bert Beckwith Memorial at Plainridge Park, recording a time of 1:49.1. On Monday (Aug. 5), Torrid Saint A turned in a career-best performance to win the $34,722 Open pacing feature at Plainridge Park.
Driven by Matty Athearn, Torrid Saint A quickly took the lead from Im No Outlaw N (Bruce Ranger) after the quarter in :26.4. The positions remained the same through the half in :55.4, with Gandolf The Black (Drew Monti) pulling from third to challenge. Torrid Saint A fended off Gandolf The Black and maintained a one-length lead into the stretch. Despite a strong late push from Im No Outlaw N, Torrid Saint A held on to win by a head in 1:51.3, setting a new lifetime mark.
This victory marked Torrid Saint A’s 22nd career win, bringing his earnings to $454,568. The nine-year-old gelding is owned by Joe Trice and trained by Jimmy Nickerson. Torrid Saint A paid $4.60 to win.
Matty Athearn also achieved a grand slam on the card, securing wins with Dance Monkey (1:53.4, $4.20), Calvin B (1:52.4, $18.40), and King Spencer (1:52.3, $3.20).
The card featured two $22,222 conditioned paces, both timed identically.
In the first, Alta Classic A (Ron Cushing) made a bold three-wide move from fifth in the final turn, overtaking Woody's Cash Crop (Bruce Ranger) to win by a head in 1:52, setting a new seasonal best. This was Alta Classic A’s third win of the year, and he paid $8.80. Alta Classic A is owned by his driver, Ron Cushing, in partnership with Kevin Sywyk.
In the second division, ER Griffin (Brett Beckwith) moved to the front past the quarter and led the entire way. After reaching the half in :55.1 and three-quarters in 1:23.1, ER Griffin fended off late challenges from Bag Pipe Major (Nick Graffam) and TJs Indy Racer (Shawn Gray) to win by a quarter length in 1:52. This was ER Griffin’s third win in his last four starts, and he paid $4.80. ER Griffin is owned by his trainer, Mike Eaton, in partnership with Bob McHugh, Robert Griffin, and Russell Young.
Live racing at Plainridge Park continues on Tuesday (Aug. 6) with a 4 p.m. post time.