Windsor, ME — Undefeated sophomore pacing star Massive Speed unleashed another dominant tour de force when he took his $17,437 division of the Maine Sire Stakes for 3-year-old pacing colts and geldings on Tuesday (Aug. 26) at the Windsor Fair.
Leaving from pylon position, nothing stood in the way of the impressive son of Dude’s The Man, except time and opportunity. Regular pilot Aaron Hall took the pacer through opening fractions of :29.1 and :58.4 with Keenan Star (Heath Campbell) right on his helmet.
Past the half, stablemate Cheatin Fate (Andy Harrington) was the first to start the outer flow and had reached the pacesetter’s saddle pad by the 1:28.4 third panel. From that point, Massive Speed was given his head, and the horse responded with a dramatic afterburner, showing his heels to the field.
Having unleashed a torrid :28.2 final quarter en route to a seven-length romp, they tripped the timer in 1:57.1 in the non-betting event, which was a new lifetime best for the divisional standout. Cheatin Fate finished second; Keenan Star was third.
Trained by Marc Tardif and owned by Leighton Property, the gelding scored his eighth consecutive victory and 18th lifetime win. His seasonal total shot up to $53,633, with his lifetime earnings quickly approaching $200,000. He was bred in Maine by Laurie Harding.
The second $17,212 ‘Glamour Boys’ division was held on the wagering card as the opener, and the powerful Tardif Taskforce completed a sweep of the Maine-bred contests.
When the wings folded, 4-5 favorite Ridgecrest Dan and John Nason took the early lead from post three. From the :29 second opening panel through the :59.3 midway point, Nason was in complete command. However, Andy Harrington and Dawn Two Dark (5-1) pulled at the half and then made a sweeping move down the backstretch to overtake the pacesetter and assume the point into a 1:29.2 third stanza.
Around the turn and down the stretch, Nason had tipped Ridgecrest Dan to re-engage with Dawn Two Dark and was putting their once comfortable lead in jeopardy. Under the shadow of the wire, Dawn Two Dark did prevail by a whisker in 1:59 over the fast-closing Ridgecrest Dan. Gracies Tough Guy (Dave Ingraham) got up for third.
Trained and owned by Marc Tardif, the son of Deuce Seelster paid $13.40 to win for the third time this season. He was bred by Gary and Kristina Hall and now lays claim to $33,069 in seasonal earnings.
The Maine Sire Stakes continues at the Windsor Fair with all of the 2- and 3-year-old trotters on Friday (Aug. 29) to kick off the holiday weekend. The 2-year-old filly pacers arrive on the Saturday (Aug. 30) Windsor program, followed by the 3-year-old filly pacers on Sunday (Aug. 31) and finally the 2-year-old colt pacers to close out the long weekend on Monday (Sept. 1).
For more information about the Maine Standardbred Breeders Stakes, visit their Facebook page or website.