Maine’s growing family of two- and three-year-old trotters found their way to the Skowhegan State Fair on Thursday, Aug. 20, with all the usual suspects up to their same tricks.

Three of the four $23,000-plus divisions of the Maine Sire Stakes were held before the regular card at Skowhegan, starting with the two-year-old trotting fillies at 6 p.m.

In that first, early Maine Sire Stake it was another easy victory for Princess Caledonia (Gary Hall) who led every step of the way to win handily in 2:07.1 by 1-1/2 lengths. Cape Cod Friday (Dave Ingraham) stayed close to the action and finished second; Mikella Bella (Heath Campbell) was third in the three-horse field.

Co-owned, trained and driven by Gary Hall, the daughter of To The Hilt-Wild Pine Princess picked up her fourth seasonal win.  Also owned by James Kelley Jr., Betsey Kelley and Kristina Hall, she now sports $54,046 in earnings.

In the $23,622 Maine Sire Stake for three-year-old trotting colts and geldings, once again it was driver Heath Campbell who sent Guss Workout to the front with Trottingfortreasure (Kevin Switzer Jr.) ducking in the two hole.  Wilder N Idy (Mark Athearn) got away third as they hit the opening panel in a :31.1 in the fading twilight sun.

Guss Workout seemed pretty comfortable on the engine as Campbell rolled his charge to a 1:01.4 half.  As has been his practice, when the pacesetters passed the third station in 1:32 Athearn had tipped Wilder N Idy to the outside to advance his position.

When the field hit the head of the stretch Wilder N Idy had improved to second with Gus’s Workout going offstride.  Down the lane Wilder N Idy had the momentum and clear sailing to the wire, scoring in 2:01.3 and holding off the late charge of Trottinfortreasure by a quarter length. Guss Workout finished third.

Trained by Gretchen Athearn for owner Patricia Leavitt, the full-brother to Princess Caledonia picked up his fifth win of the season. He now boasts a 13-1-2 summary from 16 starts with $214,162 earned.

In the $23,799 Maine Sire Stake dash for two-year-old trotting colts and geldings, it was another typical wire-to-wire tour of the facility for Team Watson’s U Know I Know.

Ken Watson steered the son of Whataworkout-Without Lindy to his fifth consecutive win in a lifetime best-equaling 2:05.1, prevailing by 5-1/2 lengths over Pembroke Zagursky (Heath Campbell). Race Me Bruno (Wally Watson) finished third.

Trained by Lisa Watson for owner-breeder Barbara Lawson, the unbeaten U Know I Know now has $54,348 on his card in five lifetime starts.

In the final $23,974 division, raced as the opener on the pari-mutuel card, once again it was filly sensation Hayden who been virtually unstoppable since mid-July.

Trainer-driver Gary Hall controlled the tempo early with a :31.1 opening panel, sending the daughter of Cantab Fashion-AJs Baby to a steady 1:02.1 half.  Our Last Quote (Mike Cushing) was poised in the garden seat, while Race Me Boomer (Andy Harrington) tipped first over into a 1:33.4 third panel.

With the outer flow fading and Hall giving his star filly her head, the duo trotted home in :29.2 to a half-length victory over the pocket-sitting Out Last Quote in 2:03.1. Race Me Boomer finished third.

Owned and bred by Stephen Hall, it was the sixth seasonal victory for Hayden and her eighth lifetime, as she increased her bankroll to $131,130.  She returned $3 on a two-dollar win ticket.

Looking ahead, the harness racing action continues at Skowhegan over the weekend as the “State Fair” moves to matinee cards.  The freshman sidesteppers close out the week-long meet with the two-year-old pacing fillies on Friday (Aug. 21) and their male counterparts on Saturday (Aug. 22).

(with files from Maine Sire Stakes; photo of U Know I Know)