Two guys named ‘Mike’ departed Bangor Raceway as winners when their three-year-old trotters scored in their respective divisions of the Maine Sire Stakes on Sunday’s (July 9) early card.
Trainer Mike Cushing’s filly Shesalilbitmouthy (pictured above) earned her second victory of the stakes season, winning the $14,502 sophomore filly trot in a new lifetime best 2:02.4.
Driven by Aaron Hall, the daughter of Victor Blue Chip left from pylon position and never looked back as she cruised through opening fractions of :31.1 and 1:00.3. With a comfortable two-length lead on the trailing horses, Hall was content to hit the third panel in 1:31.1 before opening up by four lengths to sail home a winner for owner Mona Dodd. Shesalilbitmouthy was bred in Maine by Stephen Hall.
Making her third seasonal start, the filly won for the second time and lowered her mark by more than three seconds. She now has 10 wins lifetime.
Wild Ending (Ivan Davies) finished second and Another Adventure (Kevin Switzer Jr.) was third.
The $14,941 sophomore colt trot was up next, which was settled in the final strides by trainer Mike Graffam’s Stealin Money.
When the wings folded, Outlawofthevalley (Switzer Jr.) was the first to leave from post four, followed by Stealin Money (Nick Graffam), who got away second, with Pembroke Traveler (Heath Campbell) settling into third. Switzer Jr. gathered up Outlawofthevalley after a 29.1 opening panel and reduced the tempo into a 1:00.4 half. Last week’s victor Wabanaki (Ivan Davies) cruised solo in the outer flow throughout the opening panels but had a miscue following the 1:30.2 third quarter. At the head of the stretch, the leader Outlawofthevalley stepped off stride which allowed Stealin Money to inherit the lead for the Graffam clan and score by a head over a fast-closing Pembroke Traveler in 2:02. Wabanaki held on to be third.
The victory was the first this season from three starts for Graffam’s homebred colt by Pembroke Slugger who lowered his mark by nearly 10 seconds in the process. Now co-owned by Mike Graffam with Jacquie Graffam and Joan Harmon, the up-and-comer has two lifetime victories.
The Maine-bred side-steppers finish out the week with the three-year-old pacing colts invading Bangor on Wednesday, July 12 for two $15,142 divisions of seven-horse fields. First post is early at 2 p.m., when Luke McGook, the point leader in the glamour boys division, will seek his fourth consecutive victory. Then, the two- and three-year-old pacing fillies are up next on Friday, July 14 at historic Bass Park. The following day, the two-year-old pacing colts visit Cumberland on Saturday, July 15 for more Maine Sire Stakes events.
(With files from Maine Sire Stakes)