Cumberland, ME — Driver Dan Deslandes and his father, trainer Jeff Deslandes, took First Tracks Cumberland by storm and won four of the nine races on Friday’s (April 14) opening day program.

Driver Dan Deslandes wasted little time finding the Blue Seal Winner’s Circle, sending Pay Later right to the top from post five in race one. While setting the tempo, Deslandes didn’t have an anxious moment until the wire, where Perfect Force (Gary Mosher) tried to steal the show but fell short by a nose. Winning in 1:57.3, the 13-year-old son of Western Terror paid $8.20 to win for trainer Jeff Deslandes and owner Mo Coo Inc.

Driver Dan Deslandes, pictured driving Pay Later to victory in the season opener, hit a grand slam on opening day at Cumberland. Stephanie Gray photo.

The Deslandes clan also scored in race five with SG Alexia ($4.40), and finished one-two in race six with Mighty American N (Dan Deslandes) and Scouts Report (Bruce Ranger). Scoring from pylon position, Mighty American N, an 11-year-old son of American Ideal owned by Ron Dinsmore, never had a horse in front of him and drew off to win by 3-3/4 lengths in 1:58 and pay $7.20 to win.

Ten Beaches Later won the finale for the Deslandes clan, holding on to win by a neck over P L Pasquale (Kevin Switzer Jr.) in 1:58.1. Also owned by Mo Coo Inc., he paid $3.00 to win. All told, the Deslandeses had four wins, a second-place finish a fourth-place finish, and a total of seven purse checks from eight starters.

The all-source wagering handle hit $119,000 for Cumberland’s opening day, which was up from $108,000 last year on the same date with 12 races programmed.

Saturday’s (April 15) card welcomes two $6,000 winners-over handicaps, one for each gait. The trot, carded as race five, has Ohio invader McStoned Again (Kevin Switzer Jr., 8-5) assigned the outside post position after making a significant class drop. For the pacers, in race seven, Lexus Witha View A (Kevin Switzer Jr., 1-1) also emanated from the Buckeye State. First post is 3:15 p.m.

Horsemen are reminded to check the condition sheet for Cumberland’s two ‘Spring Fling’ late closing series, to be raced the weekend of April 21-12. The TrackMaster Rating conditioned events will offer $15,000 and $20,000 final purses, respectively, the following weekend. A complete condition sheet for the upcoming series is available on the track’s website.

First Tracks Cumberland’s spring/summer meet will continue throughout the spring and early summer months with regular racing on Friday and Saturday each weekend through Aug. 5. First post remains 3:15 p.m. (EDT).