Delmarva shipper Brutalizer will try to score his first win for his new connections in the $5,500 USD top conditioned trot on Saturday, Nov. 29 at First Tracks Cumberland
The absence of recent two-time winner Big Al M makes the Sara Harrington-trained gelding the 2-1 morning-line favourite in this week’s edition of the trotting feature. Sara's husband, Andy Harrington, is at the controls again after hitting the board in his first three drives aboard the four-year-old,
Scoring from post five, the son of Alarm Detector-Princess Serena has six wins in 33 seasonal starts, earning $93,979 in the process. The accomplished high-stepper took his 1:57.4 record over the half-mile track at Harrington earlier in the year, and he looks to make this Downeast two-circuit oval his new stomping grounds.
To My Credit (Mike Stevenson, 7-2) will also be trying to grab the lion’s share of the purse as he starts from the pylon position for trainer Allison MacDonald. The five-year-old son of Credit Winner-Dame Edna has five wins and $34,575 earned from 24 tries this year. He won two weeks ago against gentler company, showing that he can do it on the front end.
Veteran teamster ‘Double-digit Dave’ Ingraham is just two wins shy of his 8,000th career victory, now sitting at 7,998 wins. Over the weekend, Ingraham has 16 drives; seven on Saturday and nine on Sunday.
Driving harness horses since 1980, the 63-year-old has 71 wins this year with earnings of $830,431. Over his 45-year career, he has driven winners of $33.3 million and enjoyed a dozen seven-digit earnings seasons. His statistically best year was 1995 where the Maine native won 403 races and $2.7 million in purses.
The Pick 5 starts with the third race on the card, the Pick 4 highlights the ninth, and the High-Five Pentafecta is in the finale. All carry low 16 per cent takeouts.
Horsemen are reminded to check the new condition sheet and the Cumberland website for a host of exciting Winter Pop-Up Series for the month of December. Boasting up to $179,000 USD in purses, the races have increased prizes, as well as consolations and finals, for the six different events available.
Racing will continue on Sunday at First Tracks Cumberland with a 13-race card. Cumberland Raceway will transition to three days of harness racing next week (Friday-Saturday-Sunday) beginning Dec. 5. The 18-day meet runs until Dec. 21, 2025. Post time remains 10:55 am.
(Cumberland; photo of Brutalizer from prior start)