Last year’s local leading driver Kevin Switzer Jr. was able to get 2-5 favourite Big Al M home first in the $9,589 Winners Over Trot on Saturday, April 25 at First Tracks Cumberland.
Despite some traffic trouble on the backstretch heading into a :28 opening panel, Big Al M went around that early fracas and set the rest of the fractions before cruising to victory in 2:00.2, paying $2.20 to win. The eight-year-old Anders Bluestone-Bringing Up Lindy gelding is now two-for-three this year and recorded his 34th career score for owner/trainer Zach Vickerson. Brutalizer (Andy Harrington) finished second and Storm Bringer (Nick Graffam) was third.
Overall, Switzer Jr. had four victories on the 12-race program, with Nick Graffam having a pair. Switzer Jr. led all drivers over the weekend with nine victories, pushing him to within six wins of Graffam, who is the meet’s leading driver with 30 wins thus far this season.
In other news, Todd Whitney won another Maine Amateur Driving Club event, scoring in 1:56.1 with the Michelle Lefebvre-trained pacer Gotafoolishdesire by 11-1/2 lengths.
Trainer/driver Luke Varnum blew up the tote board in the finale, sending his own trotter Dynamical Tad to victory from the eight-hole in 2:03.4, paying a whopping $87.80 to win.
Racing resumes at First Tracks Cumberland on Friday, May 1 for the second of six weekends of Friday-Saturday racing, which runs through the month of May. The calendar then reverts back to Saturday-Sunday cards for the month of June. First post is always 12:15 p.m. during the extended pari-mutuel meeting, which runs through Aug. 2. The lone exception is next week on Saturday, May 2, when the track will offer wagering on the 152nd Kentucky Derby and the full card live from Churchill Downs, with the first post for Cumberland's live harness racing set for 2:45 p.m.
(With files from First Tracks Cumberland)