Two divisions of three-year-old pacers went postward during the Cumberland Fair week, with a familiar face and a new star making headlines on Wednesday (Sept. 28) in the $18,000-plus Maine Breeders Stakes (MSBS).
Deal With It Roman (Walter Case Jr.) vaulted to the top of the leaderboard with his wire-to-wire score in the $18,554 MSBS three-year-old colt and gelding pace.
The son of Western Maverick left from post three and was guided through comfortable fractions of :29.1 and 1:00.2 in the opening panels.
Marc Tardif’s homebred Deal With It Roman was tied for second place at 287 points in the divisional standings with Bandolito Blaze (Heath Campbell) leading into the race. Campbell put ‘Blaze’ into motion and began the outer flow moving into a 1:29.3 third stanza, and was just a half-length from the leader.
Case tapped the accelerator and pushed his charge into another gear and sped away from the pack to win by 1-1/2 lengths in 1:59.
Deal With It Roman (as part of an ownership entry) paid $3.40 to win for the sixth time this season and passes Use Yah Blinkah in the point standings to take the lead.
Daughtry (Ron Cushing) finished second and CBF Squirt Gun (Nick Graffam) was third.
Cowgirl Rides Away upset the favourite, Sweet Baby G, winning the $18,972 MSBS three-year-old filly pace and picking up her first lifetime victory in the process.
Driven by Shawn Thayer from post three, the daughter of Baron Biltmore sat a perfect two-hole trip behind the favourite to tip out in the lane and win by three parts of a length in 2:00.3, taking the first race record of her career.
Owned, trained and bred by James Smallwood, Cowgirl Rides Away paid $20.40 to win.
Sweet Baby B (Walter Case Jr.) finished second and Sheza Rebel (Andy Harrington) was third.
Race seven ended in a dead heat for win between Bay Brute (Walter Case Jr.) and Nets of Passion (Dave Ingraham) in a swift 1:55.2, which is the fastest dead heat for win in the history of Cumberland Raceway.
Walter Case Jr. had three wins on the nine-race card and Aaron Hall enjoyed a driving double.
First Tracks Cumberland, with cooperation from the Maine Standardbred Breeders Association and the Maine Harness Horsemens Association, hosted a live draw of the $240,000-plus Maine Breeders Stakes (MSBS) for the two-year-old divisional finals to be held on Saturday (Oct. 1). The entries can be viewed on the USTA website by clicking here.
(With files from First Tracks Cumberland)