Three $15,000-plus divisions of the Maine Sire Stakes for two-year-old male and female trotters enhanced the program at Cumberland Raceway on Friday, July 18 with some fresh faces making their pari-mutuel and Downeast debuts.
A lone $15,604 division of Maine-bred freshmen colts and geldings was featured in the opener, with three of the four participants making their inaugural purse starts. Last week’s walkover introduced Wilder N Idy (pictured above) to the trotting ranks, where the son of To The Hilt cruised the historic Bass Park oval all alone for driver Mark Athearn and trainer Gretchen Athearn.
This week the colt had some company, although the first-time starters saw nothing but the back of Athearn’s helmet as he set comfortable early fractions of :32.2 and 1:05.3 before kicking into another gear. Putting five lengths between himself and his nearest competitor, Trottinfortreasure (Kevin Switzer Jr.), at the 1:36.2 swifter third station, the Michael Andrew-bred colt was not finished yet.
Having reached the wire with a 10-1/4 length advantage, Athearn had Wilder N Idy on cruise control for the 2:07.4 finish. Posting a new lifetime best, he paid $2.80 for owner Patrick Leavitt.
Guss Workout (Heath Campbell) finished third.
In the first $15,416 trotting filly division driver Heath Campbell put 1-5 favourite Pembroke Lady into motion and never looked back, scoring in 2:08.1 by 7-1/4 lengths. The daughter of Pembroke Slugger is now two-for-two in Maine Sire Stakes events, having set her mark of 2:08 in her last start at Bangor.
Trained by Valerie Grondin for owner Brenda Varney, Pembroke Lady paid $2.40 to win. She was bred in Maine by the late Bill Varney.
Two daughters of first-crop sire Cantab Fashion made their seasonal bows. Jazaa (Nick Graffam) took an early lead against this group, settling into the two-hole and was trotting along nicely until throwing in some steps around the three-quarter pole, but held on to be third.
Our Last Quote (Steve Wilson), another daughter of Cantab Fashion inherited the two-hole and finished second.
In the second $15,656 division of the Maine Sire Stakes for two-year-old trotting fillies 1-9 favourite Heyden (Gary Hall) jumped at the start which allowed Coronation Moon (Ivan Davies) to take over the top spot and lead the field through the remaining panels.
Scoring by eight lengths in 2:07.2, the daughter of Cantab Fashion made a successful first lifetime start for trainer-driver Ivan Davies and returned $20.20 to her supporters. She's a homebred owned by Owen Davies and Catherine Davies.
Hayden, also a daughter of Cantab Fashion, finished second; Race Me Boomer (William Childs) was third.
Sarahs Lilly won the $7,534 featured overnight in 1:57.3 with McGwire Sowers aboard. She paid $20.80. Gowestyounggrace (Dave Ingraham) finished second; Maggie At Bat ( Andy Harrington) was third.
Kevin Switzer Jr. led all drivers with four wins on the program.
Live harness racing resumes on Saturday, July 19 with two $11,000-plus USD divisions of the Maine Sire Stakes for two-year-old pacing fillies.
(with files from First Tracks Cumberland)