Maine’s leading money-winning freshman pacer of 2022, Luke McGook, returned to his winning ways at Bangor on Wednesday (June 14), taking the fastest of two $15,376 divisions of the season’s opening round of Maine Sires Stakes for three-year-old colt and gelding pacers.
Driven by Kevin Switzer Jr. for trainer Marc Tardif in the second non-betting race, the son of Rock N Roll World grabbed the lead just past the :27.2 opening panel, following a little front-end fisticuffs by Wicked Scorchah and Drew Campbell. From that point forward, it was all over but the shouting as the pair coasted home in dominant fashion, tripping the timer in 1:57. Coming off of two preps at Gil Crest Training Center in April and a final tune-up last week at Cumberland, the Leighton Property-owned sophomore never had an anxious moment, dashing home with a :28.3 final quarter while winning by 3-1/4 lengths. So Rock N Roll (Walter Case Jr.), who was also trained by Tardif, finished second. Wicked Scorchah was third.
Bred by Erika Saucier, Luke McGook was never worse than second during his freshman campaign, winning eight of 13 and earning a hefty $140,457 for his efforts.
Following the stakes races, his regular driver Kevin Switzer Jr. won an additional three overnight races on the regular program at Bangor, which brought his current lifetime dash win total to 2,996.
Last season’s Maine Sire Stakes freshman final winner, Two Towns Over (Aaron Hall), finished a hard-charging second to the faster-closing Colt Bennett (Bruce Ranger), who ultimately won the first $15,376 non-betting event.
Also a son of Rock N Roll World, Colt Bennett had to score from the outermost post seven and was forced to come second over and catch the pack from off the pace. Someones Hero (Andrew Harrington) grabbed the lead and controlled the tempo with modest fractions of :30, 1:00.3 and 1:29.1 before being overtaken down the stretch by the David Crochere-trained Colt Bennett. Throwing in a :28.3 final quarter was all it took to make up nearly three lengths in final goings to win by a neck for owner Nancy Longobardi in 1:58.2. Two Towns Over finished second and Someones Hero was third.
It was the second win of the year for Colt Bennett, who was bred by Steve O’Toole.
The Maine Sires stakes resumes on Saturday’s Cumberland Raceway program, which has two $14,684 divisions for three-year-old pacing fillies, alated as races one and nine on the regular card. First post is 3:15 p.m.
With up to 10 legs for each division throughout the summer and autumn months, and purses on the rise, the Maine Standardbred Breeders Stakes has been promoting and providing a venue for Pine Tree State Standardbreds since the legislative establishment of the program in 1972.
(Maine Sire Stakes)