With the Maine Sire Stakes in full swing, the three-year-old pacing fillies made their second visit to First Tracks Cumberland on Saturday, July 12 with Leanne Marie and Thinkin Bout Life winning a pair of $16,337 divisions for the fourth leg of the Pine Tree State program.
In the first division, Leanne Marie doubled up in the Maine Sire Stakes defeating 4-5 co-favourite Chasing Dudes by a quarter of a length.
Chasing Dudes, driven by Nick Graffam, and Leanne Marie, with Mike Cushing, got away from the car in one-two position, with Chasing Dudes taking point into a :31 opening panel. The field remained in perfect alignment through a 1:02.3 half, with Leanne Marie opting for the outer flow as the field approached the 1:33.2 third station.
With Cushing moving his filly right alongside Graffam’s charge, the fans were treated to lengthy battle to the wire as the pair matched strides and traded positions around the final turn and down the stretch. With the give and take nearly exhausted and the wire approaching quickly, Leanne Marie made one more final brush and overtook Chasing Dudes to prevail in 2:01.2. Glorilla (Aaron Hall) finished nearly seven lengths behind the top two in third.
Owned and bred by the Maine-based trio of Pamela Smith, Jane DiPompo and trainer Charlene 'Sherry' Cushing, the daughter of Artistic Fella out of Zoe Blue Chip now has two wins and two seconds in four seasonal starts -- all in Maine Sire Stakes competition. She paid $3.80 to win.
Improving off top three finishes in the last two legs, Thinkin Bout Life broke her maiden in Saturday's second division.
There was a flurry of activity in the first quarter with Audry (Steve Wilson) protecting pylon position, Whisper Of Luck (McGwire Sowers) charging up between horses and the series leader and 1-9 favourite, Lysiun (Aaron Hall), moving swiftly on the outside in an effort to take command. However, her advantage was short-lived as the heavy favourite made an early uncharacteristic miscue at the :28.4 quarter pole and was no longer a factor.
Audry continued to show the way past a pedestrian 1:00.3 half, with Dudes Pretty Chick (Heath Campbell) in the pocket, followed by Whisper Of Luck. Around the paddock turn and heading into the 1:32.2 third panel, 27-1 longshot Thinkin Bout Life and Kevin Switzer Jr. had pulled first-over and then poked a head in front as the field rounded the final turn.
Down the stretch, Switzer Jr. was high-lining trainer Marc Tardif's homebred daughter of Dudes The Man out of Deal With Life, with the filly keeping all of the would-be spoilers at bay, scoring by a half-length in 2:03.1. Dudes Pretty Chick was a fast-closing second and pacesetter Audry settled for third.
Winning for the first time in 13 starts, she paid a whopping $56.60 at the betting windows.
Bruce Ranger won the day’s top $6,849 overnight race with Velocity Sub Z in 1:55.4, which was a seasonal best and second in a row for the 11-year-old Arts Chip-Stylish Strider gelding, who is owned and trained by Judson Merrill. He paid $13.40 to win.
Both Ranger and Switzer Jr. enjoyed driving triples on the program.
The Maine Amateur Driving Club race was captured in overland style by James Douchette driving his own pacer Ahoy Hanover to a nose victory over Rockaholic (Scott Farley) in 1:59.1. Trained by Jimmy Nickerson, the four-year-old Captaintreacherous-Always On A Roll gelding paid $7.80 to win.
Racing resumes at Cumberland on Friday, July 18 with Maine’s freshman trotters in action and continues on Saturday, July 19 with Pine Tree State-bred two-year-old pacing fillies.
The Cumberland spring/summer meet will continue with regular racing on Friday and Saturday throughout the summer, with a race date on Sunday, July 27 added to accommodate Maine’s freshman filly pacers. First post is at 3:15 p.m. during the extended pari-mutuel meeting, which runs through Aug. 2.
(With files from First Tracks Cumberland; photo of Leanne Marie winning on July 12)