Two divisions of Maine Sire Stakes for three-year-old trotters went postward on Friday, Oct. 2 at the Cumberland Fair, with the sophomore leaders continuing their dominance in their respective classes.
In the $23,976 non-betting division for males, Wilder N Idy sat a perfect pocket trip to prevail over pacesetter Guss Workout (Heath Campbell) in 2:01. Trottinfortreasure (Aaron Hall) was third. Driven by Mark Athearn to a quarter-length victory, the son of To The Hilt-Wild Pine Princess is trained by Gretchen Athearn for owner Patricia Leavitt. He is now seven-for-11 this year in the Maine Sire Stakes and leads the divisional point standings leading up to the finals on Oct. 17 at Bangor Raceway. Wilder N Idy was bred by the late Mike Andrew, and now has $248,126 in lifetime earnings with 15 wins in 20 starts.
In the $25,301 filly event, which was also held before the regular card, Hayden got roughed up in the opening sequence but rallied to score by three parts of a length in 2:01.2. Our Last Quote (Steve Wilson) cut the fractions and finished second; Race Me Boomer (Andy Harrington) was third. Trained and driven by Gary Hall for owner-breeder Stephen Hall, the daughter of Cantab Fashion-Ajs Baby acquired her ninth seasonal victory from 11 starts — with her two defeats the result of breaks — and has remained the leading divisional point earner throughout the year. Her career bankroll is now $171,456, and her record stands at 11-for-19.
Driver Andy Harrington enjoyed another leading day, taking three wins on the regular program while topping all drivers at the Cumberland Fair with 14 trips to the winner's circle. His Friday scores included the $9,143 conditioned feature with Arts Flight (1:55.4, $3.40) for trainer Sara Harrington, his wife.
Racing resumes at the Cumberland Fairgrounds on Saturday with the Maine Sire Stakes freshman finals, featuring total purses of $323,342 USD. The final day of fair racing at Cumberland will be Sunday and features a $25,000 USD Maine Sire Stakes consolation for freshmen male pacers. Post time is 12:30 p.m. for both weekend dates.
After the fair, the track’s 15-day Winter Festival begins Nov. 8 and then primarily follows a three-day Friday-Saturday-Sunday schedule throughout the season, until Dec, 13. Our annual Au Revoir Retirement Ceremonies are slated for Dec. 12.
(Cumberland; photo of Hayden winning on Oct. 2)