This weekend’s 26-race Thanksgiving feast at Cumberland Raceway starts right off with the main course, as the $6,000 USD featured Winners Over Trot is carded as the opener on Saturday, Nov. 30.

Leading the pack in the marquis event is Chad and Maryann Tompkins’ Little Macabee, who will score from pylon position with Drew Campbell listed to drive. Installed as the early 9-5 morning line favourite, the 10-year-old son of Chapter Seven, the five-time seasonal winner has found a softer landing following his last three outings at Plainridge Park. With 40 wins lifetime, the ‘little horse that could’ will be the one to catch.

Voted ‘most likely to upset’ is the 5-2 Jax Spratt (Aaron Hall), who has four wins in his last five starts.  The four-year-old son of Devious Man has won nearly half of his 26 seasonal starts and gets around his home track with ease. Also in top form is French-bred trotter Empereurthebest FR (Walter Case Jr.), who hails from the Dunn stable and is 3-1  after winning his last two efforts by open lengths. In fact, all but one of the entrants have taken a victory lap in their last two starts.

There is also a pair of $5,000 USD conditioned events, a trot and a pace, carded as races four and 11, respectively.

The fourth race trot has Kimberly Vafiades’ Squable (Drew Campbell) as the 9-5 choice while seeking his second consecutive victory against this bunch. The six-year-old son of Trixton has five wins in 22 seasonal outings, with another nine second and third-place finishes.  Owned by Jason Vafiades, the horse has missed one cheque in his last nine programmed lines. Another French ex-pat Empire City FR (Benson Merrill), 3-1 on the morning line, is moving up in class after a win last week and will try to take advantage of his early gate speed.

Two Maine-sired mares will renew their sophomore rivalry when the distaffs met in battle half a dozen times in last season’s pacing filly ranks. South St Dottie (Nick Graffam), at 4-1 early odds, and Katelyns Angel (Aaron Hall), at 2-1, will face off once again in the $5,000 USD conditioned pace toward the latter part of the program.

The entire program has a lot of action for horse players with 10 of 13 events boasting full seven or eight-horse fields.

The Pick 5 starts with the third race, the Pick 4 highlights the 10th and the High 5 Pentafecta in the final race—all with low 16 per cent takeouts.

The action continues on Sunday, Dec. 1 with a 13-race card of full fields, which includes a $5,500 USD conditioned pace and a $4,000 USD leg of the Maine Amateur Driving Club with series leader Hunter Lofthus scoring from post six with 3-2 favourite Real Thing.

First Tracks Cumberland will transition to three days of harness racing each week (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) beginning next week on Dec. 6. The 19-day meet continues through Dec. 22, 2024, and post time is always 10:55 a.m.  The track's popular Au Revoir Retirement Ceremonies are slated for Saturday, Dec. 21.

(With files from First Tracks Cumberland)