BANGOR, I – To no one’s surprise, the heavyweights in the four sophomore harness racing divisions of the Maine Sire Stakes took home the championship titles in their respective $100,000-plus finals on Saturday (Oct. 11) at Bangor Raceway.
In the first $101,174 Maine Sire Stakes final for three-year-old pacing stallions and geldings, Marc Tardif’s star pacer Massive Speed had maintained a perfect record in the state of Maine throughout his second career. The son of Dude is the man did not disappoint as the 1-9 favorite was sent to the front by regular pilot Aaron Hall and never looked back.
Putting the well-judged fractions of :28 and :59.1 on a soft half, the outside flow started with Ridgecrest Dan (John Nason), while This Dudes Perfect (Heath Campbell) made a pocket trip as the field passed the center marker.
Hall managed the clock perfectly with the former freshman champion, going the extra mile while keeping the Wolves at bay in a 1:28.1 third panel. Along the way his lead was never challenged again as Massive Speed took his 12e season victory in 1:57, which equals his lifetime best in measured length.
HUGE SPEED REPEAT
The two-time Maine finals winner is owned by Leighton Property and was bred by Laurie Harding, which realized $2.20. The top colt now has 22 lifetime wins and $265,318 in earnings.
Ridgecrest Dan finished second; This Dudes Perfect came third.
In the $100,876 Maine Sire Stakes final for 3-year-old colts and geldings, the event pitted this year’s top male trotter, Liberty’s Wildcard, against last year’s freshman champion Whatawonder.
The skirmish did not disappoint as Whatawonder (Ken Watson) raced to an early lead from post six, hitting the opening panel in :30.1. Driver Kevin Switzer Jr. was forced to push Liberty’s Wildcard into third position as the field rolled past the quarter mark, but was out and rolled over first through the 3/8’s marker and was challenging for the lead in the 1:01.1 half.
The son of Noble undertaking got a quick break along the cones around the 5/8 turn, but went back out and trotted bravely to take over the pacer from the 1:30.3 third station.
Further on, Whatawonder tried diligently to catch the 1-9 favorite but to no avail as Liberty’s Wildcard won by three parts of a length in 2:00.3, a new lifetime best.
LIBERTY’S WILDCARD REPEAT
Trained by Marc Tardif for owner Leighton Property, it was the 12e season win for the division champion, earning $2.20. He was bred by Jerry Stratton Jr. and increased his lifetime earnings to $176,520.
Just Foolin (Heath Campbell) finished third.
Femme fatale division leader Barbella was put to the test in the $101,122 Maine Sire Stakes final for three-year-old trotting fillies. Driver Kevin Switzer Jr. the daughter of Whataworkout was on point in the early fractions of :29.4, but in the ultra-soft half of 1:01.4 the field was stacked and I tasted blood in the water.
While Ivan Davies pocketed Little Shot, Twisted Fate (Mike Cushing) was out and was the first to roll over as the field passed the stands for the first time. Switzer kept the challenger at bay through the 1:32 third panel as the pair exchanged glances across the back one last time, with the attacker briefly poking his head out.
However, as the field entered the long, far corner, Switzer pressed the accelerator and sent the big favorite on a path of persistence, opening up the pack with every step. The duo touched the wire in 2:02 and won by a comfortable 4-3/4 lengths.
BARBELLA REPEAT
Trained by Ken Anderson for owner Robert Kakian, it was the 11e season win and eighth in a row for the division standout, increasing her lifetime bankroll to $173,629. She was bred by the late Mike Andrew and paid $2.20 to win.
Twisted Fate finished second; Little Shot (Ivan Davies) came third.
The closing Maine stakes race of the twilight card was the $101,153 final for 3-year-old pacing fillies.
An even field led to a few relative co-favourites, with division leader Leanne Marie (Mike Cushing) being the 6/5 slight second choice behind Chasing Dudes (Nick Graffam), the public’s choice at 4/5.
As is well known, Leanne Marie went straight to the top and played catch me if you can, leading the field to an opening panel of :29.2. Whisper Of Luck (Andy Harrington) came away in second, while Chasing Dudes gave chase in third.
The fillies passed the halfway point in 1:01.1 with little movement in the top trio, but down the back Chasing Dudes went from third to within a length of the leader in the blink of an eye, forcing a 1:30.2 third stanza.
Around the bend the pair piled into their final furlongs in a heated battle for division bragging rights. Graffam kicked out the earplugs at the top of the track and searched for everything he could get out of the daughter of Dude is the man. Nevertheless, it was Mike Cushing piloting Leanne Marie who prevailed over the masts by half a length in 1:59.3.
LEANNE MARIE REPLAY
The daughter of Artistic Fella, trained, co-owned and bred by Charlene “Sherry” Cushing with partners Pamela Smith and Jane DiPompo, earned her ninth win of the season and fifth in a row while increasing her lifetime earnings to $171,986.
The winner gave back $4.60. Whisper Of Luck finished third.
The Maine Sire Stakes finals represent the culmination of years of hard work and dedication on behalf of dozens of industry stakeholders, including but not limited to the owners, breeders, trainers, drivers and caretakers of these equine athletes.
Not only do these horses represent a significant individual and collective investment in harness racing and agriculture in the State of Maine, but the marginal revenues generated by the sales and servicing of trucks and trailers, fuel suppliers, feed companies, hay producers, saddle shops, blacksmiths, farm owners and racetracks that give them a place to compete annually exceed well over seven figures.
For more information about the Maine Sire Stakes, follow their Facebook page @MaineBreedersAssociation, or visit their website: https://www.mainesirestakes.
For full race results, click here: American trotting results.
Through Chris Tullyfor the Maine Sire Stakes
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