Cumberland, ME – Driver Alex MacDonald got his first wins of the season on Saturday (April 11) at Cumberland Raceway when he piloted 11-1 longshot to a wire-to-wire victory in the $7,000 featured ‘winners over’ trot.
Leaving from pylon position the 6-year-old son of Credit Winner was sent right out to the top by the 41-year-old old reinsman, ensuring that he was in total command of the fractions. And command them he did as the :28.3 opening panel was followed by a much softer 1:01.1 half.
With the field of top trotters stacked up while heading to that midway marker 2-1 second choice Brutalizer (Andy Harrington) flushed the cover of 8-5 favorite Big Al M (Zach Vickerson), who in turn caused the emergence of Jax Spratt (6-1, Aaron Hall) who was first over heading around the five-eighths bend.
Through the turn Big Al M was sitting second over and started losing ground and ultimately went off stride due to a flat tire and was no longer a factor. Brutalizer encountered some traffic trouble with the aforementioned blowout, and had significant ground to recover from the back of the pack at the 1:31 third panel with To My Credit continuing to set the pace.
Around the final turn Jax Spratt tipped three wide to take his shot at the leader, as Brutalizer followed him closely with plenty of trot and momentum. Down the stretch Jax Spratt was neck and neck with the leader, matching strides as the pair approached the wire. Brutalizer was a fast closing third. But the day belonged to To My Credit and Alex MacDonald as the pair tripped the timer in 2:02.4 to capture the seventh race feature.
To My Credit is trained by Mr. Allison MacDonald for owner T C B Racing. It was the gelding’s 12th lifetime victory who increased his lifetime earnings to $84,126. For teamster Alex MacDonald, it was his second win of the afternoon, and the season, having won the fifth race with Stub N Bugs (2:03.3; $12.40). Overall MacDonald had five starts on the day’s program and got checks in four of those events.
Driver Andy Harrington and his wife/partner/trainer Sara Harrington teamed up to bring home three winners on the afternoon program: Pax Hanover (2:05; $9.60), Dreamfair Fantasy (2:01.2; $8.60), Whisper Of Luck (2:00.3, $8.20). Nick Graffam also had three wins on the card, with Eric Davis grabbing a pair of wins.
Racing continues on Sunday (April 12) with another 13-race program of full fields, led by a $7,000 ‘winners over’ pace in race five.
First Tracks Cumberland’s Spring/Summer meet will continue throughout the Spring season with regular racing on Saturday and Sunday through April 19. Friday (April 24) marks the start of six weeks of Friday-Saturday racing, through the month of May. After which the calendar reverts back to Saturday-Sunday for the month of June.
First post is slated for 12:15 p.m., during the extended pari-mutuel meeting, which runs through August 2. The lone exception will be Saturday (May 2) when the track will offer wagering on the 152nd Kentucky Derby and the full card live from Churchill Downs, with the first post for live harness racing set for 2:45 p.m.
A complete calendar and additional information can be viewed by visiting the First Tracks Cumberland website.