The familiar superstar of the Maine Sire Stakes' glamour boys division this year, Massive Speed, continued his reign of supremacy on Sunday, July 20 over a sloppy track at Bangor Raceway.
Two $16,352 divisions for three-year-old pacing colts and geldings were contested at the rain-soaked historic Bass Park, with the first round witnessing an easy victory for the gelding, who is now four-for-four in the Maine Sire Stakes this year. Already known as last season’s two-year-old Maine pacing champion, the son of Dudes The Man-Machmeter picked up the services of Aaron Hall for the race, which was little more than a training mile for the lifetime winner of $216,181.
Through the early pedestrian fractions of :31.1 and 1:03.3, onlookers may have pondered that the race was still undecided as stablemate Dawn Two Dark (McGwire Sowers) was poised to pounce in the two-hole. But Hall was just toying with the field, and he tapped the Massive Speed accelerator approaching three-quarters in 1:34. Around the final turn, Dawn Two Dark popped the deuce, prompting Hall to hit the afterburners, and Massive Speed responded with a :28.4 final quarter to splash home in 2:02.4 and win by a measured 1-1/4 lengths. Dudes Wanted Man (Heath Campbell) finished third.
Undefeated at three through four starts, Massive Speed is trained by Marc Tardif for owner Leighton Property. The gelding, who paid $2.20 as the 1-9 favourite, now has 14 wins lifetime in 17 outings. He was bred in Maine by Laurie Harding.
In the second division of sophomore male pacers, last week’s victor Race Me Celtic (Drew Campbell) got out to an early lead and towed his fellow competitors along though the muck in :29.2 and 1:01.4 opening panels with Ridgecrest Dan (John Nason) in the pocket. Past the half, Keenan Star (Heath Campbell) moved first-over with Cheatin Fate (Hall) right on his helmet second-up.
Around the five-eighths, Hall sensed stalling cover and moved three-wide down the backside to engage the leaders. The pacesetter Race Me Celtic started to get leg-weary as well, prompting John Nason to pull the right line on Ridgecrest Dan and apply more pressure to the leader as they reached the third station in 1:31.4. Those two fought toe-to-toe in the around the final turn with Ridgecrest Dan using his momentum and pocket trip stamina to roll down the lane a 1-1/2-length victor in 2:01.1. No Guts No Glory (Sowers) finished second; Race Me Celtic took the show cheque.
Trained and driven by 69-year-old veteran horseman John Nason, the win was the third this season in six tries for Ridgecrest Dan, who is owned by Bill ‘Yarmouth Lumber’ Phipps. The Jason Vafiades-bred Dudes The Man-Magnetic Draw colt has won five of 10 career attempts. He paid $4.80 to win.
Looking ahead, Friday’s Cumberland program hosts the Maine Sire Stakes for two-year-old male pacers. The following day, Saturday, brings back all divisions of Maine-bred trotters to Cumberland. Sunday’s special noon card at Cumberland hosts the Pine Tree State’s two-year-old pacing fillies.
A massive front of severe thunderstorms made steady progress through northern New England and southeastern Canada, even as the faithful gathered for the summer finale at Bangor Raceway. Hopes of completing the twelve-race coda were thwarted, however, as low clouds gave way to torrential rain, resulting in excessive standing water on the track, and necessitating the cancellation of the card following the first seven races.
Before the deluge, however, driver Drew Campbell and trainer Mark Harris hooked up to float a pair of winners, starting when Axion Hanover (2:00.3, $2.60) made a triumphant return to Bangor following his recent Plainridge Racecourse swing. He powered his way to the lead just past the half before gliding over the gooey going to secure his third win of the season in 11 starts. The six-year-old Betting Line gelding, owned by Gayle Harris, is now 17-for-96 lifetime.
The Harris homecoming continued to pay dividends as he harnessed his second winner just two races later. Returning from an extended campaign at First Tracks Cumberland, Astaire (2:03.1, $6) feasted on home cooking as Campbell engineered a strategic second-over journey before letting the American Ideal gelding waltz free through the stretch. The win was first seasonal score in 10 tries for the Derek Robishaw-owned nine-year-old, who is 11-for-185 lifetime.
Miss Quality (2:01.2, $14) also provided homecoming heroics on the card as she overcame post six to wire a field of $6,849 optional claimers while securing her fourth consecutive tally for driver/owner McGwire Sowers. The nine-year-old Quality Western mare had been romping through similar classifications at First Tracks Cumberland for the past month before returning to the scene of her first win for the Autym Sowers roster. She has won 31 of 202 career outings and is seven-for-18 in 2025.
In other news, despite the rain shortened Sunday card, the business numbers at Bangor Raceway continued on a record setting pace as the summer meet concluded. Through the 23-day summer session, Bangor paid out an average of $59,137 in daily purses while recording a record-breaking average daily handle of $100,537, highlighted by an attractive $10,857 average per-race handle.
Bangor also experienced daily handles in excess of $100,000 on a record 13 occasions during the recently-concluded summer portion of its meet as compared to 12 such occurrences over the course of the totality of the 40-day meet in 2024. And with 26 days of fall racing still scheduled to be held during the months of September, October, and November, Bangor Raceway is well-positioned to build upon its record-setting pace.
Bangor Raceway will present a special encore summer performance on Thursday when it headlines the activities at the Bangor State Fair. Racing will be conducted under the lights with post time slated for 6:00 pm and will feature a nine-race program anchored by two splits of Maine Sire Stakes action for three-year-old filly pacers, contested for purses of $11,701 USD per dash.
(With files from the Maine Sire Stakes & Bangor Raceway)