Maine’s top three-year-old pacing filly Snowonthepines maintained her perfect record as she picked up her 19th lifetime win on Monday, Sept. 21 at the Farmington Fair.
She went all the way in the first $24,238 division of the Maine Sire Stakes for sophomore distaff pacers, held as a non-wagering event before the regular card.
Driver Kevin Switzer Jr. posted early fractions of :28.1 and :58.4 with Snowonthepines, with Ron Cushing and Just Delightful sitting in a tight pocket through the 1:29.3 three-quarters. Snowonthepines had some pressure from the stalking Just Delightful in the stretch but prevailed by three parts of a length in 1:58.1. Race Me Ireland (Andy Harrington) was third.
The win was Snowonthepines’s 10th from as many starts this season. The daughter of Dudes The Man-Snow Cone A was victorious in all nine of her two-year-old outings and now has $249,568 in lifetime earnings for trainer Marc Tardif and owner-breeder Leighton Property.
In the second division, the 2-5 favourite Dudelookslikeafily (Aaron Hall) cut moderate :30.2 and 1:01 fractions to the half. Heading past the midpoint and down the backstretch the final time, Perfectly Lovely was sent first-over by driver Kevin Switzer Jr. to three-quarters in 1:30.4 Reeling in the leader down the stretch, the daughter of Western Maverick-Perfect Launch prevailed by a quarter-length in 1:59.1. Graceofspades (Dave Ingraham) was third.
Trained by Jimmy Nickerson for owner Joseph Trice, Perfectly Lovely tallied her first win of the season in 13 starts. She took a new mark and upped her career bankroll to $81,238 with her third win from 23 lifetime appearances. She was bred in Maine by Lynn-Marie Plouffe. The filly returned $12.60.
The Maine Sire Stakes has moved back to the fairs, with a week of action at Farmington continuing with all the two- and three-year-old trotters on Wednesday.
(With files from Maine Sire Stakes)