Maine icon Bruce Ranger set a track record of 1:56 with Sarahs Lilly to cap a driving three-peat under sunny skies on Cumberland’s first Tuesday (May 11) card.
The $6,000 Fillies and Mares Winners Over saw the five-year-old mare by Hes Gorgeous pace to a wire-to-wire romp to set a new standard for older pacing mares. The wire-to-wire victory also gave the mare’s trainer Ben Merrill three trips to the winner’s circle, where Ben and his wife Lauren also celebrated their wedding anniversary.
Sarahs Lilly was bred by Irwin Kaplan, Merrick, NY and is owned by Moo Coo Inc. (Ellen & Irwin Kaplan) of Merrick, N.Y. She paid $5.20 to win.
It was opening day all over again for Webmaster Hanover, who won the first race on Saturday and came back just three days later and won again, taking a new seasonal mark of 1:57.1. The six-year-old son of Somebeachsomewhere was driven by Drew Campbell for trainer Brian Lamb and owner Mona Dodd of Yarmouth, Maine.
Bred by the sport’s leading nursery Hanover Shoe Farms, Webmaster Hanover paid $3.30 to win.
Several teamsters enjoyed driving doubles on the nine-race card, including Heath Campbell and McGuire Sowers, the 21-year-old up-and-comer who has set up shop in Maine following a successful run at Monticello.
Racing from Cumberland continues Wednesday (May 12) with first-race post time at 4:15 p.m. (EDT).
(First Tracks Cumberland)