Bangor, ME — The first real cold snap of autumn could do nothing to lessen the enthusiasm felt at Bangor Raceway on Saturday (Oct. 17) as the Queen City oval played host to the $400,000-plus championship round of the Maine Sire Stakes sophomore set, a card co-headlined by the $20,000 final of the Fred Nichols Pacing Series.
Massive Speed, fresh off divisional track record performances at Maine’s Farmington and Fryeburg Fairs, was sent to the gate as the prohibitive 1-9 favorite as the select field was sprung from the gate, with regular driver Kevin Switzer Jr. charting the course.
Leaving alertly from post 4, Switzer acquiesced to a pocket trip behind the capable Sweet Jeff IR (driven by Nick Graffam), tracking reasonable :28.1 speed to the quarter, a tempo that was downshifted to a moderate :57.1 at the half.
Feeling fresh on the lead, Graffam quickly stomped down on the accelerator, gunning Sweet Jeff IR to a 1:25.2 three-quarter clocking, all while Massive Speed sat looming directly off his shoulder. But in the blink of an eye, the looming transformed into zooming, as Switzer revved up Massive Speed’s big engines, tipped from the comfort of the pocket, and captured the lead in one of the most decisive salvos fired this season at Bangor Raceway.
Once on the lead, Switzer deftly encouraged his charge, stepping clear to an eventual 3-1/2-length margin at the wire, timed in 1:53.3.
Sweet Jeff IR faded to fourth as Gabe Hanover (Heath Campbell) secured the runner-up placing while Th Kay C Crunch (Aaron Hall) rallied for third.
Massive Speed, a 4-year-old Maine-bred son of Dude’s The Man, is trained by Benson Merrill for owner Leighton Property. The win, his ninth of the season, represents his 31st career score from only 45 lifetime starts.
The 1:53.3 clocking fell three-fifths of a second off Bangor’s divisional track record for 4-year-old geldings, a record that was established in the 2025 edition of the Fred Nichols by another Merrill trainee, So Rock N’ Roll.
The win was one of four on the program for Switzer, who scored with two additional Merrill roster members, American Maverick (1:56.2, $12) and JS Peyton (2:00.4, $4.80), while capping his grand slam with a thrilling come-from-behind effort behind the Eric Bickmore-trained Liam’s Ace (1:58.1, $2.20).
In other Bangor news, a pair of prolific winners continued their dominance while solidifying their presence on the North American top performer list.
Cool Man Dude (1:56.3, $2.20) won for the 20th time this season with Aaron Hall holding the lines for trainer Steven Vafiades, reinforcing his position as the winningest horse on the continent thus far in the season. Skyway Freakshow (1:57, $2.80) also joined the international hit parade, moving into a tie for fifth place on that very same listing after securing his 15th seasonal win for the driver/trainer team of McGwire and Autym Sowers.
Another top performer will have an opportunity to tie Skyway Freakshow for fifth place in the North American standings on Sunday, as YS Do It Right revisits Bangor Raceway, sights set on his 15th seasonal score, with Nick Graffam set to steer for trainer Michelle Lefebvre.
Racing at Bangor Raceway will continue on a three-day per week schedule through November 7th. Post time for the Wednesday cards will be at 2:30 p.m. (EDT) while the Saturday and Sunday matinees will step to the gate bright and early, at 11:45 a.m.
For those not able to come to the track, wagering and live video for Bangor Raceway, as well as hundreds of harness and Thoroughbred racetracks across the world, is available on Hollywood Races at www.hollywoodraces.com.
For complete information regarding live racing, simulcast wagering, gaming, dining, and hotel accommodations at Bangor’s Hollywood Casino and Raceway, please visit the website at www.hollywoodcasinobangor.com.