Cumberland, ME — Before the so-called “Race of the Year” with likely Horse of the Year Confederate facing older foes at the Meadowlands in Saturday’s (Nov. 25) $350,000 FanDuel Championship, Cumberland Raceway will host what could be described as “Maine’s Thanksgiving Tussle” as some of the best pacers in New England go head-to-head in the $6,500 Winners-Over Pace on Saturday.

Assigned post positions six and seven, respectively, Nineteenth Man A (2-1, Ron Cushing) and The Bird Dance N (5-1, Dan Deslandes) highlight a field of sharp side-steppers in the holiday weekend’s featured event. Nineteenth Man A has six wins and earnings of $58,856 on his card this season, and is coming off a win at Plainridge. Heidi Cushing trains the 5-year-old son of Captaintreacherous.

Nineteenth Man A looks for his seventh win of the year. Stephanie Gray photo.

The Bird Dance N is looking for his 10th win of the year while having earned $60,241, and has won some of the signature events at both Maine pari-mutuel tracks, including the $25,000 Fred Nichols at Bangor and the $10,000 Bruce Ranger Open at Cumberland. The 8-year-old son of A Rocknroll Dance is trained by Karl Butterfield.

The field also contains De Chirico (Drew Campbell) and former track record holder Rocksapatriot (Dave Ingraham), making this a strong set of upper echelon performers.

The Winners-Over Pace is carded as the eighth race on a 12-race program that begins at 11 a.m.

On Sunday’s (Nov. 26) program, top trotters meet in a $5,500 conditioned feature. Broadway Giant (2-1, Bruce Ranger) will look to keep his winning streak alive from post six. The 9-year-old son of Broadway Hall has won four of his last five races — including two in a row — and is trained by Ron Patoine. He will have to contend with Mister Muscle (7-2, Aaron Hall), who scores from pylon position for trainer Jamie Gerard.

Sunday’s card also features the fourth leg of the Maine Amateur Driving Club (MADC), with last week’s victor Martaritaondarocks (2-1, Cain MacKenzie) assigned post eight. The MADC series is sponsored by the Blue Seal Feed Stores of Windham and North Yarmouth, Maine.

A total of 25 races will be offered over the Saturday and Sunday cards, all with full fields. Wagering options on each card include a Pick-5 (races 3-7), a Pick-4 (races 9-12), and a Pentafecta in the finale.

For the third season in a row, First Tracks Cumberland will present the Au Revoir Retirement Showcase, slated for Dec. 23. The event is open to 14-year-old horses that are racing or retired and have Maine connections. Horses will parade in front of the fans in either harness or halter and be featured in a half-page bio with photograph in the program. Equine honorees must be present to participate and must ‘declare’ by Dec. 6. To enter your horse, or for more information, send an email of interest to Chris Tully at tullytrot@yahoo.com.

First Tracks Cumberland will transition to three days of harness racing each week (adding Fridays) beginning Dec. 1 and continuing through Christmas Eve (Dec. 24). Post time remains 11 a.m.

For more information, visit the Cumberland Raceway website.