Cumberland, ME — Big Al M was able to overcome the eight-hole and sprint to a wire-to-wire rout on Saturday (Nov. 22) at Cumberland Raceway, copping his second $5,500 conditioned trot feature in as many weeks.
When the Wes Brown starting gate wings folded top teamster Kevin Switzer Jr. blasted the 1/5 favorite out on a quest for the front end. Mike Stevenson secured To My Credit (10-1) in the pocket, with Dave Ingraham and Inquiring Mind (11-1) settling third.
Following a taxing :28.1 opening panel the duo was able to soften the tempo while in command and moving toward the mid-way point. Big Al M arrived at the half in 58.1 with Valyrian Steel (9-1, Cain MacKenzie) moving first over, followed by Brutalizer (5-1, Andy Harrington) second up.
No changes in the sequence followed as Switzer Jr. had control of the field through the 1:28 third station, when Harrington tipped Brutalizer three-wide to take his shot at the leader.
With the stretch drive underway, and a myriad of challengers trying valiantly to catch the pacesetter, Switzer Jr. hand-drove the 7-year-old son of Anders Bluestone to a 2-1/4 length victory in 1:59.1.
Owned and trained by Zach Vickerson, it was his tenth win of the season and 32nd of his career. Returning $2.60, he increased his lifetime bankroll to $523,455.
Inquiring Mind finished second; Brutalizer got up for third.
Driver Kevin Switzer Jr. enjoyed five wins on the program, and Mike Stevenson picked up a double, both of which lit up the tote board. His own Coocooforcoco (2:00.1) paid $35.20 to win, and Kandace Niles’ Sweet Scarlett (2:02) returned $39.40.
Racing resumes on Sunday (November 23) at Cumberland. The Pick 5 starts with the third race; our Pick 4 highlights the ninth, and our High-Five Pentafecta in the finale—all with low 16% takeouts. Post time is 10:55 am for the 12-race card.
Our Winter Festival extended pari-mutuel meeting enjoys weekend action throughout the month of November. Cumberland Raceway will transition to three days of harness racing each week (Fri-Sat-Sun) beginning December 5. The 18-day meet runs until Dec. 21, 2025.
For more information go to our website: https://firsttrackscumberland.com/
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