Fryeburg, ME – When the famous Fryeburg Fair welcomed the Maine Sire Stakes on Wednesday (Oct. 1) it was the star sophomore pacing filly Leanne Marie that held sway over a full field of Pine Tree State-bred sidestepping distaffs.
In the lone $17,853 division, fans watched the Cushing clan’s determined 3-year-old female divisional leader Leanne Marie (4-5, Mike Cushing) take no prisoners and come away with the well-rated victory.
When the wings folded, Whisper Of Luck (5-1, Andy Harrington) blasted out to the lead from post six, while Leanne Marie ducked in the pocket from post five. Following a 30-second opening panel, Cushing wasted little time coming right back out to take command and led the field through a 1:00.3 mid-way marker.
With Whisper Of Luck in a tight pocket, and Leanne Marie in command, the pack hit the third station in 1:30.3. With no significant pressure, Cushing let out a notch to snag the score in 2:00, posting a :29.2 final quarter.
Trained by Charlene Cushing, who also bred Leanne Marie with co-owners with Pamela Smith and Jane DiPompo, the daughter of Artistic Fella grabbed her eighth win of the season and fourth in a row.
Leanne Marie paid $3.60 and now has $74,314 earned this season, while going over $122,000 in lifetime earnings.
Whisper Of Luck finished second; Glorilla (Aaron Hall) was third.
The Maine Sire Stakes continues at Fryeburg with more agricultural fair racing, with the 3-year-old male pacers on Thursday (Oct. 2), followed by both divisions of 3-year-old trotters on Friday (Oct. 3). The $340,000-plus sophomore finals of the Maine Sire Stakes take place on Saturday (Oct. 11) at Bangor Raceway.
For more information about the Maine Standardbred Breeders Stakes, follow our Facebook page @MaineBreedersAssociation, or go to https://www.mainesirestakes.com.