Sheriff N did not allow his outside post to thwart his pursuit for pay dirt as he took matters into his own hands and captured the fastest of two $10,135 second leg divisions of the conditioned/optional claiming Portland Pacing Series on Saturday, June 21 at Cumberland Raceway.

Driven by Kevin Switzer Jr., the 11-year-old son of Bettors Delight "lit ‘em up" when the starting car pulled away and proceeded to make every call a winning one. Reaching the quarter in a snappy :27.4 and the half in a more pedestrian :58.3, it was clear that Sheriff N was going to have things his own way.

While maintaining a comfortable margin leading the six-horse field with just Forrest Blu (Aaron Hall) in first-over chase and 4-5 favourite Dinner Party (Drew Campbell) poised in the pocket, Switzer let Sheriff N roll though three-quarters in 1:27.1. 

Popping the deuce around the final turn, the public’s choice made a valiant effort to catch the pacesetter. The pair paced stride-for-stride down to the wire, with Sheriff N prevailing by a half-length over Dinner Party in 1:56.2, a new seasonal best. Forrest Blu finished more than three lengths behind in third.

Trained and owned by Zach Vickerson, Sheriff N earned his third win in a row and seventh of the season in 11 starts. He paid $19.40 for the mild 8-1 upset.

In the second Portland split, Always At My Place showed that the front end was holding up on the sunny afternoon program, scoring by 1-3/4 lengths in 1:56.3. Driven by Bruce Ranger for owner/trainer Scott Vickerson, the 14-year-old son of Always A Virgin grabbed his fourth win of the season from seven starts and 71st of his lengthy career, which puts his lifetime bankroll at $1,333,740. Long Weekend A (McGwire Sowers) finished second and Deal With It Roman (Dave Ingraham) was third. Always Ay My Place paid $9.80 to win.

 Driver Walter Case Jr. enjoyed three wins on the program, and Aaron Hall grabbed a pair. 

Trainer Benson Merrill harnessed a pair of winners. For the current spring/summer meet, after 22 racing dates, McGwire Sowers leads all drivers at Cumberland with 38 victories, followed by Drew Campbell (29), Nick Graffam (22), Kevin Switzer Jr. (20) and a tie for fifth between Aaron Hall and Case Jr. with 19 apiece.

Autym Sowers is the leading trainer with 26 wins, followed by Benson Merrill with 22 victories.

Racing at First Tracks Cumberland continues with regular racing on Friday and Saturday each weekend through Aug. 2. First post is always 3:15 p.m. 

(With files from First Tracks Cumberland)