The lone $26,582 division of the Maine Sire Stakes for two-year-old pacing fillies went postward at Bangor Raceway on Sunday, Sept. 8 with top point earner Chasing Dudes adding to her lead.
When the wings folded, driver Kevin Switzer Jr. sent the 1-5 betting favourite, Whisper Of Luck, right out to the lead with 5-2 second choice Chasing Dudes (Nick Graffam) protecting position. Mike Cushing swung Leanne Marie swiftly from her outermost post six and ducked into the three-hole as the field moved down the backstretch toward the :30.4 opening quarter.
While there was no movement in the first half heading into the softer 1:03.3 second stanza, Leanne Marie and Audry (Steve Wilson) charged down the backstretch to challenge the leader on the outside.
By the time the field hit the 1:34.1 third panel, Leanne Marie was just a head behind pacesetter Whisper Of Luck. Around the turn, the first-over aggressor had a half-length advantage over the leader, with the pocket-sitting Chasing Dudes poised to pounce three-wide on the outside.
Three horses battled down the center of the racetrack, with the slingshot momentum of Chasing Dudes seizing the day with a surging :29.1 final quarter. Prevailing by three parts of a length, the Mike Graffam-trained daughter of Dudes The Man tripped the timer in 2:03.3. Leanne Marie finished second and Whisper Of Luck was third.
Owned and bred by Bob Marston, Chasing Dudes earned her third win of the season from eight starts to go along with two seconds and a third, increasing her bankroll to $52,095. She paid $7.20 to win.
The Maine Sire Stakes returns to Bangor on Wednesday for the two-year-old male pacers. The following week, the series transitions over to the Farmington Fair for harness racing on Monday through Friday with the all of the remaining divisions of two and three-year-old Maine-bred events. Four divisions of the $320,000+ USD freshman finals will be held at the Cumberland Fair on Saturday, Sept. 28.
(With files from Maine Sires Stakes)