Cumberland, ME — On the final weekend of the Cumberland Raceway meet, Drew Campbell continued his reign of terror with three wins on Friday (Dec. 20), including the $5,500 feature with Cash Crazy Express, with whom Campbell made every call a winning one.
Amid a fast tempo of :28, :59.2 and 1:28.1 through the first three-quarters, the 8-year-old daughter of Art Major had Shes A Sassy Beach (driven by McGwire Sowers) applying pressure every step of the way. Turning for home, track announcer Mike Cushing exclaimed, “Shes A Sassy Beach has gone a mile and an eighth,” yet was unrelenting in her pursuit of the pacesetter. When the wire finally arrived, so did several other would-be spoilers, as six of the seven upper-echelon pacing mares were spread out across the track at the finish.
Cash Crazy Express prevailed by three parts of a length in 1:59. Cantstopthelovin (Dave Ingraham) finished second; Shes A Sassy Beach hung on for third.
Owned by Kathryn Duran and trained by Mark Harris, Cash Crazy Express paid $15.60 to win for the 10th time this season, and she increased her lifetime bankroll to $192,622.
Campbell, the year’s leading reinsman at Cumberland, also scored with Skyway Ballet (2:00.3, $8.00) and Benny Is A Jet (1:59, $6.20). The 57-year-old Nova Scotia native now has 92 wins this year at Cumberland, with an impressive 50 scores in just the last eight weeks.
Driver Nick Graffam also enjoyed a hat trick on the program, winning with Time For George (1:58, $7.60); the Mike Graffam-trained Spicey P (1:59, $2.60) and Bettor Cat (1:59.3, $7.60).
Trainer Chris DuBois harnessed a pair of winners: the aforementioned Time For George and Benny Is A Jet.
Racing resumes on Saturday (Dec. 21), which is a big day in the Maine harness racing industry as a dozen 14-year-old Standardbreds will parade in front of the stands before being feted and photographed in the winner’s circle. The Au Revoir Retirement Showcase includes a special $6,000 Auld Lang Syne Race, exclusively for 14-year-old pacers in the 10:55 a.m. opener, led by world champion Lucan Hanover.
The final card of the year, slated for Sunday (Dec. 22), features two $12,500 pop-up finals as well as five races with purses of $10,000 each. There is also the $8,000 Maine Amateur Driving Club final in race eight.
Following this closing weekend, harness racing at Cumberland will reconvene in April 2025.
For more information, go to firsttrackscumberland.com.