Cumberland, ME — Ron Cushing’s Ever Hoping A set a Cumberland Raceway track record in Saturday’s (Aug. 3) $25,000 Pine Tree Invitational, which was also the loftiest purse of the year at the iconic Southern Maine oval.
Scoring from post four with Cushing in tow, Ever Hoping A let several of the anxious speedsters blast out to the front. First to the point was 16-1 long shot Skyway Victor and Drew Campbell, while Hespoisedtopounce (Andy Harrington) jumped into the two-hole around the first turn in front of 4-5 wagering favorite Heinikin Bythebay and Kevin Switzer Jr. Switzer wasted no time down the backstretch before moving to the rim and ultimately taking command into a swift :27 opening panel. As the field moved toward the half, Ever Hoping A flushed the cover of The Wild Card (5-2, Nick Graffam) as the tightly bunched group moved toward the softer :56.3 half-mile marker.
Pacing down the backstretch for the final time, Graffam urged The Wild Card while Switzer kept Heinikin Bythebay rolling on the lead. With time running out, Cushing pulled Ever Hoping A three-wide on the backside into a fast 1:24.3 third stanza as the rest of the talented group stacked up behind him. With the slingshot momentum in his favor, Cushing urged his horse through the lane to prevail by a half length in 1:53.4, setting a track record for older pacing geldings and equaling the all-age track record at Cumberland.
Heinikin Bythebay finished second; Skyway Victor was third.
The 6-year-old Australian-bred son of Always B Miki picked up his 17th lifetime victory for Cushing and partners Stephen Downey, Ronald ‘Steve’ Ralph and Romanelli Racing. He paid $10.80 to win for trainer Carlos Rodriguez.
In other signature events, trainer Alison Hynes sent the Walter Case Jr.-driven Lifes A Puzzle to a 1:55 triumph in the $12,500 Frank M. Dubreuil Jr. Memorial.
At the start, an early tussle between JK Objection (Heath Campbell) and the other Alison Hynes-trained entrant, 7-5 favorite Call Me Maverick (John Beckwith), resulted in a blistering :26.4 opening panel. With his stablemate cutting the fractions, Case flushed the cover of Rocksapatriot (Dave Ingraham) while heading into the :56.2 half.
While gapping out his cover going down the backstretch, Case was forced three-wide around the second-over Bet On Joe (Switzer) past the 1:25 third quarter pole and through the final turn to swoop the leaders and triumph by a tight length.
Owned by Richard Humphrey and trained by Gordon Corey, the 4-year-old son of Lazarus N picked up his ninth lifetime win and paid $13.80.
The victory marked the triumphant return of Walter Case Jr., who was sidelined for the last two weeks by a racing mishap. The 63-year-old reinsman had two wins on the card and finished third in the seasonal driving standings behind leader Kevin Switzer Jr. (67) and Drew Campbell (42), who took second place with five wins on the final day’s program.
Campbell’s five victories included: Luke McGook (1:54.3, $4.00), Rose Run Slider (1:57.1, $14.80), Silk Road Smash (1:55.2, $3.80), Little Macabee (1:59.1, $45.20) winning the $12,500 Winners Over Trot, and the finale with Polyester (1:56.3, $6.60).
Trainer Marc Tardif, whose powerful Maine Sire Stakes stable concentrates on young horses, finished the meet in first place with 27 victories, with his three closing-day victories vaulting him in front of Bob Marston, who finished second in the standings with 25 wins. Early leader Jeff Deslandes was third, with 24 trips to the winner’s circle.
Track record holder Ry’s Red Rocket and Bruce Ranger took the $12,500 Fillies and Mares Winners Over Pace in 1:55.2. Owned and trained by Don Richards, the 7-year-old daughter of Sunshine Beach was bred by Linwood Higgins and picked up her 28th career victory, paying $3.40 to win.
Former national amateur driving champion Todd Whitney, who finished third in the Hambletonian Amateur Drivers Trot at the Meadowlands on Friday night (Aug. 2), was back in Maine the next day to compete in the $8,000 Maine Amateur Driving Club (MADC) final. He went wire-to-wire with Vel Miss Taylor from post three to score by 6-3/4 lengths in 1:59. MADC points leader Hunter Lofthus finished second with his own Forrest Blu; Jonathan Bresnahan was third with Fly Away BB.
Trained by Chris Lefebvre for owner Mo Coo Inc., Vel Miss Taylor, a 4-year-old daughter of Ponder, grabbed her 13th lifetime win and paid $11.60.
The MADC is sponsored by the Blue Seal Feed Stores of North Yarmouth and Windham, Maine.
Harness racing action at Cumberland resumes during the annual Cumberland Fair from Sept. 22-29. The track’s 19-day Winter Festival begins Nov. 2 and continues through Dec. 22.