Spirit of Massachusetts Day: Grade 2 and Grade 3 Harness Racing at Plainridge Park
New England's biggest day of harness racing lands at Plainridge Park on Sunday, July 19. The Grade 2, $300,000 Spirit of Massachusetts Trot headlines a special matinee card alongside the Grade 3, $150,000 Clara Barton Distaff Pace, with total purse money for the afternoon running to roughly $750,000.
This is the ninth running of the Spirit of Massachusetts, and defending champion Up Your Deo returns to defend his title against a field that includes three of the fastest trotters racing in North America this year. The Clara Barton draws a compact group of six mares topped by 2025 Dan Patch Award winner Twin B Joe Fresh.
First post at Plainridge is 2pm ET, with the two featured stakes going off later in the card.
What Is Spirit of Massachusetts Day?
Spirit of Massachusetts Day is Plainridge Park's marquee racing event of the summer, held annually since 2017 as the track's lone Grand Circuit stop. The special Sunday matinee card carries an EDT first post of 2pm and typically runs nine or more races, with the two featured Grade stakes going off later in the afternoon.
The undercard adds real depth this year, including the $75,000 Bert Beckwith Memorial Invitational Pace, the $50,000 John Hogan Memorial Pace, and the weekly $27,500 Open Trot and Open Distaff Pace. Fans on track can expect a baseball cap giveaway and live music from the Berkshire Valley Boys running throughout the afternoon.
What Is the Spirit of Massachusetts Trot?
The Spirit of Massachusetts Trot is Plainridge Park's signature stakes race, introduced in 2017 and run each July for open class trotters. The purse was increased this year from $250,000 to $300,000 following a spike in nominations, and the race carries Grade 2 status.
Defending champion Up Your Deo returns for trainer and driver Ake Svanstedt after a 19 to 1 upset win in the 2025 edition, when he got up by a neck in 1:51 to tie his own lifetime mark. The win was Svanstedt's second in the race following his 2021 victory with Alrajah One IT. This year Up Your Deo finished second by a neck to Lexus Kody at the Meadowlands on July 4, with both trotting in 1:49.4, a mile that ranked among the fastest trotting miles of the year.
2026 Spirit of Massachusetts Trot Field
| Post | Horse | Driver | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Up Your Deo | Ake Svanstedt | Ake Svanstedt |
| 2 | Chapercraz | David Miller | Ron Burke |
| 3 | Logan Park | Doug McNair | Robert Fellows |
| 4 | Get A Wish DK | Tim Tetrick | Ake Svanstedt |
| 5 | Ari Ferrari J | Brett Beckwith | Tony Alagna |
| 6 | Periculum | Scott Zeron | Marcus Melander |
| 7 | Lexus Kody | Yannick Gingras | Ron Burke |
| 8 | Aetos Kronos S | Dexter Dunn | Marcus Melander |
| 9 | Daiquiri Hanover | Drew Monti | Tony Alagna |
| AE | Lovedbythemasses | Tim Tetrick | Jeff Culipher |
Nine trotters drew into the field, combining for more than $9 million in lifetime earnings, five individual millionaires, two sub 1:50 performers, and 158 career wins.
Up Your Deo breaks from post 1 for trainer and driver Ake Svanstedt as the defending champion. Chapercraz starts from post 2 with David Miller driving for Hall of Fame trainer Ron Burke, who also saddles Lexus Kody from post 7.
Logan Park goes from post 3 for Canadian conditioner Robert Fellows, making the long trip down from Ontario for a second straight year. Get A Wish DK starts from post 4, the second Svanstedt trainee in the field.
Ari Ferrari J breaks from post 5 for trainer Tony Alagna, who also enters Daiquiri Hanover from post 9. Periculum starts from post 6 and Aetos Kronos S from post 8, both trained by Marcus Melander, who is chasing his first Spirit win. Lovedbythemasses is entered as the also eligible.
Lexus Kody arrives off a Canadian, track, and stake record 1:49.1 win in last year's Maple Leaf Trot at Woodbine Mohawk Park and was timed in 1:49.4 at the Meadowlands on July 4, tying Periculum for the fourth fastest trotting mile recorded so far in 2026.
What Is the Clara Barton Distaff Pace?
The Clara Barton Distaff Pace has run at Plainridge Park since 2019 as the featured race for older female pacers on Spirit of Massachusetts Day. The purse increased this year from $100,000 to $150,000, and the race carries Grade 3 status.
Sixteen mares were nominated before the field narrowed to six for Sunday's card. Sylvia Hanover heads back in after setting a world record for a pacing mare over a five eighths mile track last year, stopping the clock in 1:47.2 to win the Barton for the second straight year, a mark that also pushed her past $2 million in career earnings. She faces a rematch with Twin B Joe Fresh, the 2025 Dan Patch Award winner as top older female pacer, who chased her home last year.
2026 Clara Barton Distaff Pace Field
| Post | Horse | Driver | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Talk Curdy To Me | Brett Beckwith | Jeff Culipher |
| 2 | Valar Dohaeris | Yannick Gingras | Ake Svanstedt |
| 3 | Turn The Page | Ron Cushing | Heidi Cushing |
| 4 | Twin B Joe Fresh | Dexter Dunn | Chris Ryder |
| 5 | Sylvia Hanover | Tim Tetrick | Mark Steacy |
| 6 | My Girl EJ | Todd McCarthy | Andrew Harris |
Talk Curdy To Me breaks from post 1 for driver Brett Beckwith and trainer Jeff Culipher. Valar Dohaeris starts from post 2 with Yannick Gingras driving for trainer Ake Svanstedt.
Turn The Page goes from post 3 for the husband and wife team of driver Ron Cushing and trainer Heidi Cushing. Twin B Joe Fresh, the 2025 Dan Patch Award winner as top older female pacer, starts from post 4 for driver Dexter Dunn and trainer Chris Ryder.
Sylvia Hanover breaks from post 5 for driver Tim Tetrick and trainer Mark Steacy, and My Girl EJ rounds out the field from post 6 for driver Todd McCarthy and trainer Andrew Harris.
Morning line odds for both stakes were not yet published ahead of Sunday's draw, so bettors should check the tote board and program at Plainridge Park or through MyWinners closer to post time.
Our Angle on Sunday's Card
Spirit of Massachusetts Trot
| Post | Horse | Driver | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Talk Curdy To Me | Brett Beckwith | Jeff Culipher |
| 2 | Valar Dohaeris | Yannick Gingras | Ake Svanstedt |
| 3 | Turn The Page | Ron Cushing | Heidi Cushing |
| 4 | Twin B Joe Fresh | Dexter Dunn | Chris Ryder |
| 5 | Sylvia Hanover | Tim Tetrick | Mark Steacy |
| 6 | My Girl EJ | Todd McCarthy | Andrew Harris |
In the Spirit of Massachusetts, we like Lexus Kody to give Ron Burke another big stakes win. His record setting mile at Woodbine and matching Periculum's pace at the Meadowlands on July 4 show he is training on at exactly the right time, and Yannick Gingras is one of the more accomplished drivers in this field. Defending champion Up Your Deo cannot be dismissed given his own 1:49.4 effort in that same Meadowlands race, and we would use him underneath in exactas and trifectas.
Clara Barton Stakes
| Bet Type | Selection | Our Angle |
|---|---|---|
| Win | Twin B Joe Fresh | 2025 Dan Patch Award winner as top older female pacer. Chased Sylvia Hanover home last year and gets another crack at her. |
| Each Way Value | Sylvia Hanover | Defending champion and world record holder for a pacing mare over a five eighths mile track. A must include in wider tickets. |
| Exacta Box | Twin B Joe Fresh / Sylvia Hanover | The clear top two off last year's rematch, which Sylvia Hanover won by four and a half lengths in world record time. |
| Trifecta | Twin B Joe Fresh / Sylvia Hanover / Turn The Page | Turn The Page has been forwardly placed in this event before and fits as the value third leg. |
| Longshot Watch | Valar Dohaeris | Trained by Ake Svanstedt with plenty of early speed. Worth a small each way look underneath. |
In the Clara Barton, Twin B Joe Fresh gets the nod off her Dan Patch Award winning form last year, though Sylvia Hanover's résumé as a former world record holder makes her a must include in wider tickets. Turn The Page and Valar Dohaeris both fit as value plays underneath given the strength of the two favorites up top.
Bet More This Weekend with MyWinners
Place your bets on the Spirit of Massachusetts Trot, the Clara Barton Distaff Pace, and every race across Sunday's card at MyWinners.
Bet online at app.mywinners.com, on the MyWinners: Racing & Sports app on iOS or Android, or go here to find your nearest MyWinners or Winners venue in CT.
