Ducharme starting 10 in $800,000 MASS finals at Plainridge Park
At 0h03, on October 25, 2021 • By PLAINRIDGE
The $2.24 million Massachusetts Sire Stakes wrap up its 2021 season at Plainridge Park on Monday (Oct. 25) when eight races valued at $100,000 each will be contested and one local trainer will have a major presence once again.
George Ducharme is a native of Walpole, Mass., who started his career at Foxboro Park. Aside from winning the $1 million Hambletonian with Royalty For Life in 2013 and racing regularly on the Grand Circuit, Ducharme has continued to compete in Massachusetts on a regular basis and has been a major participant in that sire stake program for years.
This year Ducharme has 10 starters competing in six of the eight divisions including some eye-catching first-year performers who appear to have a bright future.
Wallet (Walner-Touch Of Moni) is a 2-year-old trotting colt that is three-for-three in MASS action this year. This lightly raced colt has improved dramatically over the past three weeks, taking three consecutive lifetime marks and setting a new track record of 1:57.2 for his age, sex and gait.
“Wallet has turned into the horse I always thought he could be as he had a lot of trouble at first. A lot of his problems were growing issues. He wasn’t lame, he was achy because he was growing and he seems to have leveled out and come along at the right time. He went a record mile last week but I think he has more in him and we’ll see this week,” said Ducharme.
Another freshman star is Wonderwall Lindy (Walner-Lindy’sleadinglady) who has two wins and a second in stake action and who also just took a new lifetime mark of 1:56.1 that set a new Plainridge track.
“Wonderwall Lindy has come along well. She started out a little head-strong but she seems to be finally maturing and mentally putting it together. She has enough physical ability, it was the mental part that was bugging us early. She raced in the Kindergarten series at the Meadowlands earlier this year where she picked up a couple checks, but she has really come into her own in this series. The fillies she’s in against are a good honest group, there are three or four legitimate horses in there who could win this race,” said Ducharme.
Ducharme currently has 997 career training wins, only three away from the 1,000 win milestone, and it’s a good bet that he could achieve that goal in his home state at Plainridge Park in stake action on Monday.
Two of the eight finals are non-betting races and will be held before the regular card at 1:30 p.m. and 1:45 p.m. Post time for the pari-mutuel program is 2 p.m.
