A sure sign of summer is the return of the young Maine bred Standardbreds to the racetrack. The weekend kicks off with four ‘Learn and Earn’ 2-year-old races on Friday (June 14), before the regular card at 1:45 p.m. Then the Maine Sire Stakes convenes on Saturday (June 15) when Cumberland Raceway will host two $16,000-plus divisions for 3-year-old filly pacers.

Janet Davis vaulted into a joint third place in the Ocean Downs training standings after scoring a hat trick on Thursday’s (June 13) 12-race program.

Indiana Sire Stakes continued at Harrah’s Hoosier Park on Thursday (June 13) with two divisions of the second round for 3-year-old trotting colts. Sire You Know You Do completed the stakes sweep on the night, with Gruesome Twosome and Knowyoucando scoring in their respective divisions.

Parked twice during the mile, Killer Instinct persevered and narrowly captured Thursday’s (June 13) feature at The Meadows, a $15,900 conditioned trot.

Very few horses record their first North American win in 1:51.4. Certainly very few trotters. But most trotters don’t finish second, beaten only two lengths, to Jiggy Jog S in their first race of the current campaign. All of the above is true of Asteroid, a 6-year-old Creatine ridgling who left the field well in his wake while winning the $15,000 trotting handicap feature at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Thursday afternoon (June 13).