Cumberland, ME – It doesn’t seem to matter who pilots Vel Larry, because the horse keeps winning. Aaron Hall got the call this week in the $7,000 “winners over” pace at Cumberland Raceway on Sunday (April 12), and the result was the same.
Grabbing his fourth win in nine seasonal outings, the 7-year-old son of He’s Gorgeous took the pocket trip route to the winner’s circle this time out. Leaving swiftly from his mid-car position, Hall opted to release the hard charging Lifes A Puzzle (8-5, driver Nick Graffam), who scampered to the top from post seven into a snappy :27.3 opening panel.
As Graffam and Lifes A Puzzle got a :57.3 breather heading to the half, the outer flow started to materialize from the back of the pack. However, with the tail gunners failing to improve their positions down the backstretch for the final time, it was Tobins Burke (Dave Ingraham) who asserted himself first-over, with Vel Larry eager to tip while headed into the 1:26.3 third station.
Around the final turn, Hall found some daylight and gave the 3-2 favorite his marching orders, and within a few steps had collared the pacesetter. Down the lane, Vel Larry hit his best stride and put 2-3/4 lengths between himself and the rest of the field, scoring in 1:56.1, a seasonal best.
Trained by Christopher DuBois for owner Ettore Annunziata Revocable Trust, this year Vel Larry has won twice with Greg Merton at Monticello and last week at Cumberland with McGwire Sowers at the controls. He returned $5 and increased his lifetime earnings to $98,375.
Hypnoticdream (Sowers) finished a fast closing second; Lifes A Puzzle was third.
In other news, Maine-native, Delmarva-based driver Eric Davis took Cumberland by storm. In 18 starts, he copped six wins (four on Sunday), with seven place and show finishes for an impressive .500 UDRS. Active at Rosecroft in Maryland the last few months, Davis has earned nearly $2 million in purses the last couple of years, and has 210 wins since the start of 2024.
At the completion of seven racing cards, Nick Graffam sat atop the driver standings at First Tracks, with 19 victories, followed by Aaron Hall (14), Kevin Switzer Jr. (10), Mike Stevenson (8) and Andrew Harrington (7).
Speaking of drivers, “Too Tough” Todd Whitney took the overland route in the Maine Amateur Driving Club race, scoring with Duncans Ranger in 2:02, parked three-deep the last half.
Racing resumes on Saturday (April 18) for another weekend of live harness racing action.
First Tracks Cumberland’s spring/summer meet will continue throughout the spring season with regular racing on Saturday and Sunday through April 19. Friday, April 24, marks the start of six weeks of Friday-Saturday racing, through the month of May, after which the calendar reverts back to Saturday-Sunday for the month of June.
First post is slated for 12:15 pm (EDT) during the extended pari-mutuel meeting, which runs through Aug. 2. The lone exception will be Saturday (May 2) when the track will offer wagering on the 152nd Kentucky Derby and the full card live from Churchill Downs, with the first post for live harness racing set for 2:45 p.m.
A complete calendar and additional information can be viewed by visiting the First Tracks Cumberland website here.