04/26/2023
Congratulations Matthew Athearn!!!
Matty "Ice" Athearn gets 800th driving win at Plainridge Park
By Tim Bojarski for the Standardbred Owners of Massachusetts
(Photo courtesy of Tom Melanson)
Plainville, MA — Another horseman reaching a career milestone at Plainridge Park on Tuesday afternoon (April 25) was Matty Athearn, who won the fifth race with Dandy's Everlasting (1:52.4, $5.00) in a new lifetime mark to claim his 800th driving win.
Known as "Matty Ice" for his chill demeanor at the lines, Athearn was born in Portland, Maine and comes from a generational racing family. He learned the sport first hand from his father Mark, who is both a trainer and driver and his mother Gretchen, who is also an accomplished trainer. Athearn got his license in 2014 at age 16 and immediately started driving at fairs in Maine. In only his ninth lifetime start, he registered his first win in the bike behind the pacer Turtle Soup at Skowhegan in 1:57.
Now 25 and in his 10th year driving, Athearn is currently tied with Bruce Ranger as the leading dash driver at the seven day old Plainridge Park meet with nine wins and just under $100,000 in purses. He has also been driving regularly at Saratoga Raceway this year and sits sixth in the dash win category there with 33 victories.
Athearn recently reached another milestone at the Spa last Saturday when he finished second with Rocknroll Runa A as the purse earned, pushed his driving earnings across the $6 million plateau.
So far in 2023, Athearn has started 362 times with 50 wins, 47 seconds and 48 thirds while banking $549,297 in purse money.
Other action on the card included two mid-level condition paces for fillies and mares.
The first $17,500 event went to Smokin Molly (Nick Graffam) who followed Toodles Hanover (Bruce Ranger) through fractions of :27.2, :57.2 and 1:25.1 before making her move off the pylons at the top of the stretch. There, Smokin Molly outpaced Toodles Hanover in the lane to win by one-half length in 1:53.2.
It was the third win of the year for Smokin Molly ($6.20) who is owned by Paul London and Kathleen Brewer, who also trains the winner.
Graffam ended the day with two wins.
The nightcap was the $16,000 distaff pace and Athearn started his trek towards 900 wins as he went gate to wire with Adashious Hanover.
After trading leads with Racey Rach N (Drew Monti), Adashious Hanover settled on the front for good and had things her own way. Athearn set a steady pace of :28.1, :57.1 and 1:24.3 before turning for home and opening a 2-½ length advantage at the beam in a season's best tying 1:52.3.
It was the second win in a row and third win of the year for Adashious Hanover ($4.00) who is owned by Marc Reynolds and Rick Cortese. It was also the second training win of the day for Jimmy Nickerson, who sent Athearn's 800th win postward earlier.
Other participants scoring doubles on Tuesday included drivers Bruce Ranger and Kevin Switzer Jr. and trainers Melissa Beckwith and Bob Marston.
Live racing will resume at Plainridge Park on Thursday (April 27) at 4 p.m. and that card will feature a large $14,352 carryover in the Jackpot Wicked Hi-5 pentafecta wager in race six and a $351 carryover in the Pick-6 in race four.
