Local reinsman Kevin Switzer Jr. won three races on the Saturday, April 15 program at Cumberland, including both $6,000 features. Known to extract speed from a horse, Switzer Jr. already owns the track record for an aged pacing horse, and was back to his old tricks setting the fastest mile of the early meet on opening weekend.
Switzer began his Saturday successes by sending McStoned Again right to the top from the dreaded eight-hole in the Winners Over Handicap Trot in race five.
Parked to the quarter in :31, Switzer settled in to take command and led the five-year-old son of Wishing Stone through comfortable fractions of 1:03.3 and 1:34.3 before the outer flow started to threaten his grasp on the lead. At the head of the stretch, he found another gear and the wagering favourite rolled to a :30.1 final quarter to best Inukchuk Chuck (Gary Mosher) by a measured neck in 2:04.4. Massive Lightning (Nick Graffam) finished third.
This was McStoned Again first start in Maine, having made a dozen seasonal starts at Ohio's Miami Valley Raceway. Now with trainer Christopher Hitchcock and owned by Michael Pease, the trotter earned his second victory of the year from 12 starts.
McStoned Again paid $6.20 to win.
Two races later, Switzer Jr. came right back to take the $6,000 Winners Over Handicap Pace with Lexus Witha View A (pictured above) in 1:55.4, which was the fastest mile of the fledgling season at Cumberland.
Leaving from post six, the nine-year-old son of Somebeachsomewhere led every step of the way in :27.2, :57.3 and 1:26.2, never having an anxious moment. The heavy favourite cruised home a winner by two lengths and paid $2.80.
Trained and co-owned by Jamie Gerard with Strategic Racing Stable, Lexus Witha View A earned his second triumph of the season from a dozen starts and is now a few thousand dollars shy of $300,000 in lifetime earnings.
The co-feature provided a ‘Down Under’ Triple with The Bird Dance N (Nick Graffam) finishing second and Bush Man N (Gary Mosher) third. The 6-8-2 trifecta paid $40.10 on a $1 ticket.
Speaking of payouts, several favourites faltered on the day’s program, with longshot bettors enjoying double-digit win tickets. Race three witnessed Bruce Ranger score with Liewhentruthwildo at 12-1 and paid $26.20 to win. Aaron Hall scored with Little Macabee in race six, paying $22.60 to win. Race eight went to Gary Mosher and Go Sandy Go, who paid $29 ‘on the nose.’ In the finale, Steve Wilson steered 17-1 longshot Lucky Michael home to a $39.40 winning ticket.
Switzer Jr. also won race nine with Foxy Trottin Stick to complete the winning troika.
Perennial leading reinsman Bruce Ranger had two wins on the program, bringing the ‘Ranger-watch-10,000’ count to -30. Conditioner Jamie Gerard enjoyed two victories.
Wagering was strong, once again, for the second day of Cumberland’s opening weekend. Punters pushed $128,000 through the pari-mutuel system, which was up $53,000 from last year despite two fewer races.
Racing resumes on Friday, April 21 and Saturday, April 22. First Tracks Cumberland Spring/Summer Meet continues throughout the spring and early summer months with regular racing on Friday and Saturday each weekend. First post remains 3:15 p.m. (EDT) during the extended pari-mutuel meeting, which runs through Aug. 5.
(With files from First Tracks Cumberland)