Maine-sired three-year-old pacing males, otherwise known as the "Glamour Boys" division, closed the week of pari-mutuel harness racing at the Topsham Fair, with Use Yah Blinkah making it two in a row for driver Heath Campbell and trainer Valerie Grondin.
The son of Western Maverick took a new mark of 1:57 on Aug. 3 at Bangor and came right back to win the $18,002 Maine Breeders Stakes (MSBS) Three-Year-Old Colt and Gelding Pace at Topsham on Saturday (Aug. 13) in 2:00.2.
Scoring from post 2 in the early non-wagering event, Campbell was happy to let series' points-leader Deal With It Roman set the pace through tidy fractions of :30 & 1:01. Heading into a 1:30.3 third panel, Campbell signaled his intentions to the rest of the field and pulled first over going down the backside for the final time.
CBF Squirt Gun joined the fray and swarmed the leader going down the home stretch. At the wire, it was Use Yah Blinkah who emerged victorious, holding off CBF Squirt Gun by a head. Deal With It Roman finished third by a neck.
Use Yah Blinkah is a homebred for David Thibault, Paul Vacca, Ed Nowak Jr. and Jim Hardy and picked up his third victory of the season.
In the second $18,227 MSBS division, Ugotaearnyrstripes came from off the pace to earn his second victory of the season.
Driven by Dave Ingraham for trainer Steve LaCasse, the son of Deuce Seelster got away fourth from post 2 and sat comfortably while favourite Bandolito Blaze did all the heavy lifting.
Not unlike his predecessor, Ingraham pulled Ugotaearnyrstripes going to the three-quarter pole and got up in the final strides to win by three-quarter lengths in 2:00.3.
Like his Pompano nickname implies, "Double-Digit" Dave Ingraham and Ugotaearnyrstripes paid $16.20 for a $2 win ticket.
Owned and bred by Edward Blash, it was the seventh career victory for Ugotaearnyrstripes. Bandolito Blaze hung on for second; Ranaldi was third.
On Thursday (Aug. 11) at Topsham, Wolverina took the $18,211 MSBS Three-Year-Old Filly Pace in 2:02.4. The daughter of Cheyenne Hollywood was also bred by trainer Mike Graffam and is now owned in partnership along with Bill Arnold. Aaron Hall piloted the $2.60 winner.
In the second $18,436 MSBS division, Pembroke Legacy continued her dominance over the "Glamour Girls" with her sixth stakes victory of the season, having never lost a Maine-sire event all year. In this instance, it was a comfortable cruise around the Topsham oval in 2:02.1 for driver Heath Campbell, scoring by 3-3/4 lengths. Trained by Valerie Grondin for owner-breeder Bill Varney, the daughter of Baron Biltmore now has $145,505 in lifetime earnings.
No grass grows under the feet of the participants of the Maine Breeders Stakes, as the action moves directly to Skowhegan on Sunday (Aug. 14) and races through Aug. 20.
Sunday’s Skowhegan Fair card enjoys four events for Maine-bred trotters. The day starts with an MSBS non-betting race for two-year-old trotting fillies, vying for a purse of $17,709, with a second NB $18,736 MSBS event for three-year-old trotting fillies.
The regular card opens with an $18,489 MSBS for three-year-old trotting colts and geldings and Race 3 carries the $18,214 MSBS for two-year-old colts and geldings.
The remaining MSBS fair schedule is as follows:
- Windsor, Aug. 27 – Sept. 5
- Farmington, Sept. 18 – 21
- Cumberland, Sept. 28 – Oct. 1 (Two-Year-Old Finals)
- Fryeburg, Oct 6 – 8
The Maine-sired sophomore finale returns to Bangor for all of the 3-year-old MSBS divisional finals on Oct. 15. The two-year-old championships will be held two weeks earlier on Saturday (Oct. 1) at the Cumberland Fair.
(MSBS)