On a warm and sunny Tuesday afternoon (May 25) at Cumberland, Photo King did the same thing he has done on 56 previous occasions — won a pari-mutuel trot race.

Photo King, an elder statesman with nearly $500,000 in lifetime earnings, is a 14-year-old son of S Js Photo from the Valley Victory mare Musical Victory. Today marked his 57th victory, the fastest of which he took at age five in 1:53.2 at Pocono. Today’s romp was a wire-to-wire walk in the park from post 5, tripping the timer in 2:01.1.

Trained and co-owned by driver Dan Deslandes, and co-owned by Danny King, the classy campaigner paid $6.20 to win.

Dan Deslandes started his four-win day by wiring the field from post 7 with Love Love Me Do in 1:58.1. The 28-year-old native New Englander began his reign of conquest in Race 2, providing the seven-year-old Rocknroll Hanover mare with her third win in a row for trainer Karl Butterfield.

The next time ‘Double D’ was behind the gate was a win with his aforementioned trotter in Race 5. The following event, he went down the road again, giving Mighty American N his second win in a row in the $8,000 Claiming Pace in 1:55.2. Trained by Karl Butterfield for owner Jose Cervantes, the nine-year-old son of American Ideal paid $3.60 to win.

The eighth race saw the team of Deslandes-Butterfield dominate the action once again. Ima Tragedy N went coast-to-coast in 1:57, drawing off to win by four-and-a-half lengths. The 11-year-old son of Sands A Flyin now has two victories at the Southern Maine oval. Ima Tragedy N paid $2.80 to win.

Although dominant in today’s action, Deslandes' exploits were enough to move him into second place in the driver standings, but he still remains a few wins below New England’s leading driver Bruce Ranger. Karl Butterfield won three races and now usurps Ben Merrill as the meet’s current leading conditioner. Kevin Switzer Jr. had two victories on the program.

For Saturday (May 29), a new addition to the condition sheet marks the beginning of the Maine Amateur Driving Club (MADC) series, with a purse of $4,000. The conditions allow for pacers that are non-winners of $2,000 in their last five starts. Extra purse money has been added to that class, and Standardbreds that are Maine-bred get an allowance of $2,500. Aimee Nichols of Blue Seal Feeds of Windham and North Yarmouth will present the trophies.

Qualifiers will now be held following the Saturday pari-mutuel card, at approximately 5:45 p.m. (EDT).

Racing from Cumberland is presented live each Tuesday and Saturday, through July 31, with a new post time of 2:30 p.m. (EDT). For more information visit the website.

(First Tracks Cumberland)