Bangor, ME — On a brisk but sunny autumn afternoon at Hollywood Casino Hotel and Raceway, in Bangor, Maine, four $100,000-plus Maine Sire Stakes finals on Saturday (Oct. 17) delivered some chalk and an upset in the culmination of the annual series for Pine Tree State-bred 3-year-old trotters and pacers.
Of course, for harness racing aficionados, the glamour boys division always brings the top talent to the forefront, and this year was no exception. The 1-9 favorite in the $101,168 Maine Sire Stakes final for 3-year-old pacing colts and geldings, Daytoremember (Heath Campbell), scored from post 2 and fought for the lead with the pylon-protecting Silence Ofdarkness (Kevin Switzer Jr.) into a :29 opening panel.
Stuck on the rim and pushing forward was Deuces Red (Steve Wilson), who found himself first-up at the :59.3 half, with Rebel’s Revenge (Aaron Hall) enjoying second-over cover.
With the field starting to stack up behind the fading outer flow, Campbell got a few lengths of separation with Daytoremember past the 1:28.2 third panel. Pocket-sitting Silence Ofdarkness tried valiantly to keep up but to no avail as the pacesetter strolled away a 5-3/4-length victor in 1:57.1. Nuh Uh (Andy Harrington) got up for third.
Owned, trained and bred by Valerie Grondin, the son of Dude’s The Man returned $2.20 for his 10th win of the year and increased his seasonal bankroll to $132,168.
In the $101,168 Maine Sire Stakes final for 3-year-old filly pacers, the divisional leader Snowonthepines (1-5) took her usual seat at the front of the bus, however driver Kevin Switzer Jr. had to out-sprint Just Delightful (2-1) and Ron Cushing, who begrudgingly allowed the filly to clear into a :28 opening panel. But as track announcer Mick Sweeney succinctly noted, “she took a little bit of starch out of that one.”
Settling down a bit, the lass led the field in single-file formation through a :59 half before any challengers came calling. Graceofspades (Dave Ingraham) was the first to move, with Perfectly Lovely (Heath Campbell) picking up that cover as the pack moved tightly through the third turn.
With Snowonthepines on the engine into a swifter 1:28.3 third panel, and Cushing finding a seam for Just Delightful, the challenger extracted his charge from the pylons and set about reeling in the pacesetter around the final turn.
At the head of the stretch, the fillies were eye to eye and wheel to wheel as the drivers prepared for battle. By mid-stretch, it appeared that Snowonthepines was giving all she had, and Just Delightful had a little more, scoring by 2 lengths in 1:58.3.
Trained by Heidi Cushing for driver and co-owner Ron Cushing with Steve Downey and Tony and Joe Romanelli, the daughter of Western Maverick increased her seasonal earnings to $111,830. Bred by Lynn-Marie Plouffe, she returned $6.80 for her fifth win of the season.
Second-place finisher Snowonthepines finished her Maine Sire Stakes season with 11 wins in 13 starts and $118,731 on her card for trainer Marc Tardif and owner-breeder Leighton Property.
Graceofspades was third.
In the $101,011 final for 3-year-old filly trotters, it was a classic tour of the facility by leading divisional star Hayden, who went off as the heavy 1-5 favorite.
Following several aggressive miscues at the start, the mile was somewhat pedestrian as Hayden and Hall led every step of the way with Coronation Moon (Ivan Davies) sitting in the pocket through opening splits of :30 and 1:01.
Past the 1:31.3 third panel, Wally Watson sent Roseapple Ave past the pocket sitter to grab second and attempt to reel in the leader.
However, Hayden would not be caught as she coasted to victory in 2:02.2 by 2-1/4 lengths. Roseapple Ave finished second; Our Last Quote (Steve Wilson) recovered from an early break to grab third.
Trained and driven by Gary Hall to a total of 11 seasonal victories, the daughter of Cantab Fashion has earned $135,647 with just a pair of uncharacteristic miscues over the long season. Owned and bred by Stephen Hall, she continued her four-race winning streak, returning $2.60.
In the $100,608 Maine Sire Stakes final for 3-year-old colt and gelding trotters, which was held as an early non-wagering event, it was divisional point leader Wilder N Idy (Mark Athearn) who behaved behind the gate, bided his time, and overtook Gus’s Workout (Heath Campbell), who made a break while on top at the half.
Scoring by 4-1/2 lengths in 2:02.2, Wilder N Idy is a son of To The Hilt and now has eight wins in 13 starts for trainer Gretchen Athearn and completed his stakes season with $129,579 in earnings.
Owned by Patsy Leavitt and bred by the late Mike Andrew, he now has 16 wins and $235,641 in his career.
Trottinfortreasure (Switzer Jr.) finished second; Gus’s Workout was third.
For more information about the Maine Sire Stakes, follow their Facebook page @MaineBreedersAssociation, or go to their website: https://www.mainesirestakes.com.