Cumberland, ME – Undefeated phenom Snowonthepines leads two fields of 3-year-old filly pacers as stakes season gets underway on Saturday (June 13) at Cumberland Raceway.
The much-anticipated event marks the first $15,000-plus rounds of Maine Sire Stakes action, which is the start of the 18-week season of New England’s premier harness racing showcase.
With up to 10 legs for each division throughout the summer and fall months, the Maine Standardbred Breeders Stakes program has been promoting and providing a venue for Pine Tree State Standardbreds since the legislative establishment of the series in 1972.
While the program has evolved over the last 50 years, so has the speed and durability of the Maine-bred harness horse. While it is not uncommon to see horses by Maine sires competing throughout North America, New England drivers and trainers are also making a name for themselves on the national stage. In fact, Maine-native Jason Bartlett was voted the U.S. Harness Writer’s Dan Patch Driver of the Year in 2025.
Snowonthepines, last year’s undisputed Maine 2-year-old pacing filly champion steps into her first seasonal stakes competition off a pair of qualifiers for trainer Marc Tardif and owner-breeder Leighton Property. The daughter of Dude’s The Man won all nine of her races at 2, including the lucrative sire stakes $85,000 final.
Regular driver Kevin Switzer Jr. gets the call for the 9-5 morning-line favorite from post 5, as the dominant distaff appears to be just as comfortable off a helmet as on the front end. Her $99,000 in 2025 earnings are a testament to the rich funds available in the Pine Tree State-bred program, as well as the talent of this filly.
Her primary threat comes from the pylon positioned Ekorus (2-1, Nick Graffam), who is the homebred property of trainer Mike Graffam, with Martha Holden as partner. The daughter of Cheyenne Hollywood was eight times 1-2-3 in 10 seasonal outings at 2, earning $53,642. This $15,209 Maine Sire Stakes division is race 7 on the 12-race Cumberland card.
Each racing season the powerful “Tardif Taskforce” enters the Maine Sire Stakes loaded with talent, and once again this year is no exception. They also have the favorite 3-year-old pacing filly in the earlier, $15,209 first division, named Dudelookslikeafily (2-1, Aaron Hall, post 4). Owned by Leighton Property and Victoria Leighton, the daughter of Dude’s The Man won her last start at Bangor in an overnight race and was bred by horsewoman and photographer Stephanie Gray.
The co-second choice in race 3 is the Graceofspades (5-2, Dave Ingraham, post 1), who is a Western Maverick full sister to former Maine champion Gowestyounggrace. Owned, bred and trained by Fred Ward Jr. and Sharon Ward, the younger “Grace” is seeking her first trip to the winner’s circle.
Scoring from post 5 is Heymickeyyousofine (Heath Campbell), the other 5-2 pick in that division. A true family affair, the daughter of Dude’s The Man was bred by Kimberly Vafiades, is trained by Steven Vafiades, and is owned by Jason Vafiades. She earned just under $20,000 last year and was a consistent earner with checks in nearly all nine of her contests.
First post at Cumberland on Saturday is 12:15 p.m. (EDT).
Looking ahead, Wednesday’s June 17 Bangor program hosts the 3-year-old male pacers, followed by the 3-year-old trotters on Sunday, June 21.
For more information about the Maine Standardbred Breeders Stakes, follow them on Facebook @MaineBreedersAssociation, or go to their website: MaineSireStakes.com.