Cumberland, ME — Machtu N won the $6,000 Auld Lang Syne farewell pace, for 14-year-olds, at Cumberland Raceway on Saturday (Dec. 21) in a nail-biting tight finish with a fast closing Rockaholic.
Scoring from post four, driver McGwire Sowers took Machtu N out for the early lead and had to work to get around Rockaholic (Andy Harrington) into a :29.4 opening panel. From that point, Sowers lad the 3-5 favorite through comfortable middle fractions of 1:02 and 1:31.2, but when the pensioner pacers turned for home, a battle ensued for final bragging rights.
Rockaholic had gotten a perfect two-hole trip while Machtu N had set relatively modest fractions, so the pair were equally prepared for the thrilling stretch drive. While Rockaholic and Harrington were gaining ground with every stride, Machtu N and Sowers had just enough spark to hold on and prevail in 2:01.2 while the fans waited for a photo for win.
When the judges posted the final order of finish, it was Machtu N that had won by a nose over his colleague Rockaholic. Urbana Bayama (Dave Ingraham) finished third; Calvin B (Mark Athearn) was fourth.
The 14-year-old son of Mach Three is owned and trained by Tammy Sowers and paid $3.20 for the win.
The entire day was a big delight for fans of Maine harness racing as 12 14-year-old Standardbreds paraded in front of the stands, received Barbara Dresser-designed plaques while being recognized by the announcer, and were photographed with their connections.
Lucan Hanover p,3,1:48f, a world champion and winner of an elimination of the Little Brown Jug, led the post parade for the opener. The son of Western Ideal is owned and trained by Aaron Hall and has accrued $1.4 million in purse earnings. During his storied career, he was the first sub-1:49 Standardbred on a five-eighths mile track, and he also won an elimination of the Breeders Crown during his sophomore campaign.
The entire day was dedicated to these special horses, with the first race marked for the soon-to-be retirees. Overall, the 12 horses boasted combined earnings of $4.9 million, which is an average of $414,082. The combined start total was 3,692, with an average of 308 starts per horse. The total combined wins for these foals of 2010 was 561, which is an average of 47 victories per horse.
The fastest record belonged to the aforementioned Lucan Hanover, who is also the most decorated Standardbred among them with 74 trips to the winner’s circle. Eleven pacers and two trotters paraded in front of the stands individually, with the average win time of all the honorees an equally impressive 1:51.4.
The other retirees were: Goin Manstyle, Heart Breaking, Ideal Rowan, R T Lange, Rockin Rambaran, Scottish Blue, and Ugly Stik.
Sunday’s (Dec. 22) closing-day card features two $12,500 pop-up finals as well as five races with purses of $10,000 each. There is also the $8,000 Maine Amateur Driving Club final in race eight.
Following closing day, harness racing at the Southern Maine oval will reconvene in April 2025.
For additional information, visit the track’s website.