At the age of 88, Bob Nadeau can still get the job done between the wheels.
On Friday, May 22 at First Tracks Cumberland, the Saco, Maine-based octogenarian grabbed his first win of the season with his own Azariya in a pylon-hugging circuit that gave the six-year-old daughter of Lazarus N a new 2:00 seasonal mark. They paid $8.60.
Bob Nadeau has been a USTA member since 1966 and has been winning races for the last seven decades, or for as long as dash win records have been kept, whichever is greater.
In the weekly battle for trotting supremacy, Big Al M took command at the start and finished the race one win over his arch nemesis Brutalizer in the $9,589 featured Winners Over Trot.
Going into the race, Team Harrington’s Brutalizer enjoyed the bragging rights as their five-year-old son of Alarm Detector had won two of his last three encounters with Zach Vickerson’s Big Al M. However, things changed in Big Al M’s favour as his owner-trainer sent the eight-year-old son of Anders Bluestone out to an early lead and never looked back.
When the wings folded To My Credit (Alex MacDonald) hit the turn on top and then yielded to a hard-charging Big Al M into a :28.4 opening panel. The field was in a relaxed, single file sequence heading to the 1:00.2 halfway marker, with Brutalizer (Andy Harrington) tipping from fifth to start the outer flow and his ascent forward.
With aggressors on the march, the 3-5 favoured leader picked up the tempo and hit the third station in 1:30 while looking for a little separation. Around the final turn Brutalizer was poised to pounce in third, but positioned three lengths back. Down the stretch both the pocket sitting To My Credit and the first over Brutalizer gave chase, however, Big Al M could not be reeled in as they hit the final beam in 2:00.1. To My Credit and Brutalizer completed the top trio.
Owned, trained and driven to victory by Zach Vickerson, the veteran trotter notched his third win of the season and increased his lifetime earnings to $580,978. He returned $3.20.
Racing resumes Saturday (May 23), with the $6,200 USD feature a $10,000-$12.500 USD claiming handicap in race eight. The contest pits Married Man (9-5, Harrington) who has been assigned the outermost post five, against Jones Hanover (2-1, Kevin Switzer Jr.) and the Michelle Lefebvre-trained duo of Ys Do It Right (7-2, Todd Whitney) and Keystone Maxim (6-1, Wally Watson).
(with files from First Tracks Cumberland)