Topsham, ME – Jetson’s dog, Astro, may have coined the phrase “Rau Ru”, and Scooby Doo certainly made it his trademark, but there was no doubt as to who was the top-dog at the Topsham Fair on Thursday (August 13) as Rau Ru claimed his sixth consecutive win for owner/trainer Zach Vickerson.
Aggressive off the car with driver Kevin Switzer, Jr handling the lines, Rau Ru begrudgingly acquiesced to a pocket trip past the eighth-pole after Jones Hanover (Michael Stevenson) insisted on taking point. Through evenly rated fractions, Rau Ru dogged the front-runner, sitting nose-to-helmet along the pegs, moving from his tether only as Cool Man Dude (Heath Campbell) launched a bold rally bid around the final turn.
Fanning across the raceway at the head of the stretch, Rau Ru finally gained the advantage over Jones Hanover only to met by a stern challenge from Cool Man Dude but it was Rau Ru persevering at the wire by a determined 3/4-length margin timed in a brisk 1:57.3 while returning $5.60 to win.
Cool Man Dude finished second while Jones Hanover dead-heated for the show with Head Of The Table (Aaron Hall).
The win was one of four on the day for Switzer who, earlier on the card, won a $14,983 Maine Sire Stakes division with the undefeated No Small Wonder (2:00.4, NB), before posting gate-to-wire victories with both Duncan’s Ranger (1:59.4, $3.20) and Venice Blue Chip (1:59.2, $3.20).
The 2026 meeting at the Topsham Fair will conclude on Saturday (Aug. 15) with a 10-race mutuel card set to go to post at 1 p.m. and which will be preceded by a non-wagering Maine Sire Stakes event at 12:30 p.m.
Programs for the Topsham races are available on-track as well as through the Trackmaster online platform and for those not able to come to the track, wagering on the Topsham Fair, as well as hundreds of harness and Thoroughbred racetracks across the world, is available on Hollywood Races at www.hollywoodraces.com.
For more information regarding the entire schedule of events for the 172nd Topsham Fair, please visit www.topshamfair.org.