Two $16,000 USD divisions of the Maine Sire Stakes for three-year-old male pacers will highlight the Bangor Fair card on Thursday, July 25 with several of the individual ‘glamour boys’ vying for the top spot in the point standings.
With five horses battling for the lead in the series, and only two colts having won more than a single event, it’s anyone’s guess who may emerge the leader after week five.
The toughest $16,416 USD division has been carded as race eight and features both two-time victors Two Fold Cold (5-2, Kevin Switzer Jr.) and Justcallmebuck (9-2, Heath Campbell).
Two Fold Cold hails from the powerful Tardif Taskforce and has won both of his stakes events this year. The fastest of the bunch, he paced to an effortless 1:55.2 romp last week. Scampering away by 4-1/2 lengths, he added a strong :28.4 last quarter as an exclamation point.
Justcallmebuck is trained by Gary Hall and is the homebred property of Kristina Hall. He has two wins and two seconds in his four stakes outings, and is the current point leader. Ironically, Gary and Kristina Hall also bred Two Fold Cold.
Tardif will also send out Ella V Fella (4-1, Andy Harrington), who won an opening round division. Ron Cushing’s Hesjustadelight (7-2) is no slouch either, having finished 1-2-3 in all four of his Maine Sire Stakes outings.
In the other $16,191 USD division, the Marc Tardif-trained Arts Flight leads the card at 21 with Andy Harrington at the controls. A winner last week in 1:58.4, he should have things his own way with this bunch.
Wess Challenge (5-2) is another one of six total entrants from the Tardif Taskforce and gets Kevin Switzer Jr. this week. He was second to Two Fold Cold last week and paced in 1:56.1, the fastest race time of any of his peers in this Downeast dogfight.
The first division is the card’s opener, with post time at 5 p.m. at historic Bass Park.
The Maine Sire Stakes continues with three-year-old filly pacers on Friday, July 26 at Cumberland, which is followed by all the two and three-year-old trotters on Saturday, July 27.
(Maine Sire Stakes; photo of Two Fold Cold from a previous win)