Maine’s Windsor Fair is a special place to race

by Deb Patterson, for the Maine Harness Horsemen’s Association

Windsor, ME — There was no better place to spend Labor Day 2018 then at Windsor Fair in Maine.

The highlight of the meet was having the richest Standardbred of all time, Foiled Again, participate in the Au Revoir Pace, which was open exclusively to 14-year-olds, vying for a purse of $4,000.

The event did not disappoint as it turned out to be a storybook race that fans will never forget.

Shelley Gilpatrick photo

Foiled Again won the Au Revoir Pace at Windsor Fair.

Foiled Again (Mitchell Cushing in the bike) sat on the rail in third position until the half, then he challenged Kid Courageous A toe-to-toe for the last half. Coming down the stretch the crowd was cheering so loudly that all in attendance could feel the amazing energy of this once-in-a-lifetime event.

The winner’s circle was mobbed with people, and Foiled Again received two blankets for his 1:55.4h victory. The first was the trophy blanket for the race, the Josette Bartlett Memorial. The second was a special memento emblazoned with the iconic pacing star’s name and awarded to him and his connections in an emotional ceremony.

Not only having the honor of Foiled Again racing and capturing his 102nd lifetime victory on a Maine track, there were two other special events that capped off the nine-day meet.

The Windsor Invitational, the feature race of the day, showcased five top horses from New England racing for $12,000. It was a crowd pleaser for sure with Bet You edging Calvin B and J J’s Jet at the wire by a nose, that duo finishing in a dead heat for second. Bet You is owned by Scott Dillon, trained by Joe Nelson and driven by Eddie Davis Jr. The time of the mile was 1:53.3h.

There was the Young Guns Championship Race, won by Mitchell Cushing. He drove Worth Watching to victory in 1:55.2h, who is owned by Michael Wilson and trained by Benson Merrill. Mitch not only won the final of the Young Guns Driving Series he also won in the points standings.

Windsor Fair always recognizes its top driver and trainer of the meet. This year Heath Campbell was the top driver at the Windsor meet with 22 wins and Bo Sowers was the leading trainer with 11 wins.

Maine harness racing continues at these upcoming, pari-mutuel fairs in September: Farmington (Sept. 16–22) and Cumberland (Sept. 23–30), and the always popular Fryeburg Fair the first week in October (Oct. 2–7).

The Maine Sire Stakes culminate with the 2- and 3-year-old finals at Scarborough on Saturday (Oct. 13).

For more information please check out our website, www.mainehha.com.

Related Articles:

  • Cushing’s drive with Foiled Again was something he’ll never forget (Tuesday, September 04, 2018)
    When Mitchell Cushing first heard that Foiled Again would be racing at the Windsor Fair on Labor Day as part of his farewell tour, he was excited for the opportunity to see harness racing’s all-time richest horse compete in his home state of Maine. He never expected to end up with the best seat in the house.

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