The co-featured $7,534 trot on Friday, June 7 at First Tracks Cumberland was captured by Luvcrunchess in 1:58.4, picking up her first win of the season. Walter Case Jr. engineered the winning gate-to-wire trip behind the eight-year-old daughter of Dontyouforgetit for trainer Ryan Hall and owner P T Stable. She paid $12.00 to win
Favourite Little Macabee (Drew Campbell) finished second; Power Mitt (Kevin Switzer Jr.) was third.
Cain MacKenzie’s Martaritaondarocks paced the fastest mile of the Friday program, taking her $6,027 fillies and mares conditioned pace in 1:57 flat.
Driven by Drew Campbell, the consistent five-year-old daughter of Pet Rock was ducked into the four hole in the first turn, while 3-5 favorite Pickmepickme (Walter Case Jr.) marched on to take command.
With a soft :29.1 opening panel, Campbell pulled his charge out at the three-eighths pole and was roughing it up first over into a 59-second half. As the rest of the pylon sitters gapped off the leader, Campbell was able to duck Martaritaondarocks into the two hole at the five-eighths marker.
As Duck N Roll (Nick Graffam) was rolling on the outside, Martaritaondarocks was sitting tightly on the helmet of the leader through the 1:27.1 third stanza. As the outer flow diminished, Martaritaondarocks found daylight and used a slingshot move off the turn to challenge Pickmepickme at the head of the stretch.
Gaining ground with every stride, the 8-5 second choice rock and rolled to the wire to grab the swiftest mile of the day by 2-1/4 lengths. Owned and trained by Cain MacKenzie, Martaritaondarocks notched her third win in her last five starts. She paid $5.20 to win.
Pickmepickme finished second; Duck N Roll was third.
In other events, former Maine Sire Stakes champion South St Dottie picked up her second win of the season for Team Graffam, scoring in 1:58.1. The four-year-old mare paid a surprising $24.40 prize after her wire-to-wire effort.
Team Athearn grabbed another score with track record holder Dynamical Tad who posted a 2:02 time to win the $6,027conditioned trot. It was his second win in three weeks, having scored on May 17 and set a 2:01 Cumberland benchmark for four-year-old stallions. He paid $10.60 to win. Owned by Barbara Dresser, he is trained by Gretchen Athearn and was driven to victory by Mark Athearn.
While the 10-race card of live harness racing begins at 3:15 p.m., First Tracks Cumberland will also offer simulcasting from Saratoga Race Course on Saturday, June 8 for the $2,000,000 Belmont Stakes, doors open at 10:45 a.m.
The First Tracks Cumberland meet continues throughout upcoming Summer months with regular racing on Friday and Saturday each weekend during the extended pari-mutuel meeting, which runs through August 3.
(First Tracks Cumberland)