Bangor, ME – Hollywood Casino Hotel and Raceway at historic Bass Park will once again host the $400,000-plus Maine Sire Stakes finals, with four 3-year-old Pine Tree State-bred events on Saturday (Oct. 11) in Bangor, Maine.
Once again, trainer Marc Tardif sends a star with an unblemished record into the $101,174 Maine Sire Stakes final for 3-year-old pacing colts and geldings.
Massive Speed has maintained a perfect record in the state of Maine, and the son of Dude’s The Man has been pegged as the 3-2 morning-line favorite in race two. Regular pilot Aaron Hall gets the driving duties on the winner of 11 races and $81,701 this season.
Likely to be the heavy favorite by post time, Massive Speed scores from post three, where he is surrounded by three other Tardif trainees: Cheatin Fate (P2, 7-1, Kevin Switzer Jr.), Dawn Two Dark (P5, 9-2, Andy Harrington) and No Guts No Glory (P7, 12-1, Mike Stevenson).
Race five pits this year’s top male trotter, Liberty’s Wildcard, against last year’s freshman champion Whatawonder.
Tardif sends Liberty’s Wildcard into the $100,876 Maine Sire Stakes final for 3-year-old colt and gelding trotters, with the winner of 11 of 12 races listed as the 4-5 morning-line favorite. A seasonal earner of $81,625, he will be driven by Kevin Switzer Jr. The son of Noble Venture will score from post two and sports a winning streak of five in a row.
Whatawonder has been chasing the aforementioned favorite all year and has finished second in his last four outings for driver Ken Watson and trainer Lisa Watson. The son of Whataworkout was a perfect 10-for-10 last year and is listed as 3-1 from post seven.
Race seven continues with the diagonal set, bringing divisional leader Barbella to face six other rivals in the $101,122 Maine Sire Stakes final for 3-year-old trotting fillies. The daughter of Whataworkout has won 10 of 14 this year with earnings exceeding $82,000. She scores from post three with driver Kevin Switzer Jr. up for trainer Ken Anderson and is the 4-5 favorite.
Ivan Davies’ Little Shot (post two) is the second choice at 4-1 and has been keeping up with the divisional standout throughout the season.
The $101,153 Maine Sire Stakes final for 3-year-old pacing fillies is the concluding event for Pine Tree State-bred Standardbreds, led by 9-5 favorite Leanne Marie.
Trained and co-owned by Charlene “Sherry” Cushing and driven by Mike Cushing, the daughter of Artistic Fella has been nothing short of sensational in the waning months of the series. With five wins in her last six starts, the winner of $74,314 this year has post two and will likely utilize her snappy gate speed to control the tempo.
The Graffams’ Chasing Dudes (P5, 2-1) will surely give the favorite a run for her money as she has six wins of her own this year, to go with $62,531 earned.
The Maine Sire Stakes finals represent the culmination of years of hard work and dedication on behalf of dozens of industry stakeholders, including, but not limited to the owners, breeders, trainers, drivers and caretakers of these equine athletes.
Not only do these horses represent a significant individual and collective investment in harness racing and agriculture in the state of Maine, but the peripheral revenue generated by the truck and trailer sales and maintenance, fuel suppliers, feed companies, hay producers, tack shops, blacksmiths, farm owners, and racetracks that give them a place to compete, generously exceeds seven figures annually.
For more information about the Maine Sire Stakes, follow their Facebook page @MaineBreedersAssociation, or go to their website.