July 12, 2025, by Chris Tully, for First Tracks Cumberland
(Joe Shaw photos)

CUMBERLAND, ME – Aspiring horse enthusiasts from Camp Kippewa helped usher in Maine’s newest crop of 2-year-old pacing fillies on Friday’s (July 11) program at Cumberland Raceway, opening the day’s events with two $11,448 divisions of the Maine Sires Stakes.

In the opening round, just like the 1980’s pop song, the crowd clapped and cheered for Heymickeyyousofine as the 2-year-old daughter of Dude’s The Man was sent on a wire-to-wire tour of the southern Maine venue.

Trained and driven to victory by John Nason who set fractions of :30.4, 1:04.4 and 1:36, the soon-to-be pop icon is a maiden no more.  Pacing her last quarter in :29.3, and winning in 2:05.3 by half a length over even money favorite Perfectly Lovely (Aaron Hall/Jimmy Nickerson), it was the filly’s first purse start, and first stakes victory.

Paying $4.80 to win, Heymickeyyousofine is owned by Jason Vafiades and was bred in Maine by Kimberly Vafiades, who were both on hand to celebrate the victory.

Dudelookslikeafily (McGwire Sowers/Marc Tardif) finished third.

In the second $11,448 division favorite McKenna Jeanne protected her pylon position and took command for driver Heath Campbell and set opening fractions of :30 and 1:02.1.  The 4/5 favorite acquired some company as the pocket-sitting Snowonthepines (Kevin Switzer Jr.) popped the deuce heading past the 1:33.2 third panel and the pair raced eye-to-eye around the final turn.

Snowonthepines had the momentum off the turn and was hand driven to victory by three parts of a length in 2:03, which established a new time badge.

Trained by Marc Tardif for owner-breeder Leighton Property, the rambunctious daughter of Dude’s The Man paid $6.60 to win.

She’s A Firefly (Nick Graffam/Mike Graffam) finished third.

Little Macabee won the $7,500 Pop Up Trot Final from well off the pace in 2:03.  Driven by Kevin Switzer Jr. for trainer Eric Bickmore and owner Maryann Tompkins, the 11-year-old son of Chapter Seven picked up his 43^rd career victory and second of the season, paying $12.40.

Driver Kevin Switzer Jr. led all drivers with three wins on the program.

Racing continues on Saturday (July 12) and features two $11,926 divisions of the Maine Sire Stakes for 3-year-old pacing fillies.

Leanne Marie (3-1, Mike Cushing) drew pylon position in the opener, and currently sits second in the point standings.  Third place belongs to Chasing Dudes (2-1, Nick Graffam) who scores from post five in the week four Maine-bred test.

In the second $11,926 division the series leader, Lysiun, with three straight wins to her credit gets a new pilot in Aaron Hall for trainer Heidi Cushing.  The daughter of Dude’s The Man has been installed as the 8-5 favorite, despite having drawn the outside post six.

For punters, there is a Trifecta in all races, and the program also features a surplus of exotic wagers.  Cumberland’s Pick 5 begins with the third race, and continues with our Pick 4 and Pick 3 toward the tail end of the program, and concludes with our High-Five Pentafecta in the final race—all with low 16% takeouts.

Live video and replays can be found on our website: firsttrackscumberland.com on the Live Racing / Video Replays tab.

First Track’s Cumberland Spring/Summer meet will continue throughout the Summer months with regular racing on Friday and Saturday each weekend.  First post is slated for 3:15 pm (EDT) during the extended pari-mutuel meeting, which runs through August 2.

July 10, 2025 — by Chris Tully, for the Maine Sire Stakes
(Hollianne Niles photos)

BANGOR, ME – Marc Tardif’s Massive Speed handily took his third Maine Sire Stake for 3-year-old pacing colts and geldings on Wednesday (July 9) at Bangor Raceway, securing a new 1:57.4 record in the process.

In his $12,162 division Massive Speed, last season’s 2-year-old pacing champion, added another notch to his win total for trainer Marc Tardif and driver Bruce Ranger.

Saddled with post seven Ranger was forced to let the swift son of Dude’s The Man pace pass the early leavers and grind his way to the lead in a snappy :28.2 opening panel. 

As the 1/9 favorite led the single-file field through a softer :58 half, the first movement came from Cheatin Fate (9-1, Kevin Switzer Jr.) who mounted his challenge from fifth into the outer flow.

Despite no credible threats to his authority, Massive Speed hit the third station in 1:27.2 and began to extend his separation on the rest of the pack, with Keenan Star (5-1, Heath Campbell) giving chase in second. 

Down the lane, the star pacer was hand-driven by Ranger to a 2-3/4 length victory in 1:57.4, a new lifetime best.

Owned by Leighton Property, and bred by Laurie Harding it was the gelding’s third consecutive victory.  He paid $2.20 to win.

Keenan Star finished second; stable mate Cheatin Fate was third.

In the other $12,162 division for Maine’s 3-year-old male pacers, Drew Campbell sent Race Me Celtic down the road for a lifetime best-breaking score in 1:58.

Leaving from post five the elder Campbell pushed the son of Western Maverick to the top and never looked back, winning by 1-1/4 lengths.

Owned, trained and bred by William Childs, it was the second lifetime win, and first of the season for Race Me Celtic.  He paid $12.00 for the victory.

Ridgecrest Dan (4/5, John Nason) finished second; Dawn Two Dark (2-1, Switzer Jr.) was third.

Looking ahead, Friday’s (July 11) Cumberland program hosts the Maine Sire Stakes seasonal bow for 2-year-old pacing fillies.  The following day, Saturday (July 12) brings back the sophomore pacing distaffs to Cumberland.

For more information about the Maine Standardbred Breeders Stakes, follow our facebook page @MaineBreedersAssociation, or go to their website:  https://www.mainesirestakes.com

July 7, 2025 — by Chris Tully, for the Maine Sire Stakes
(Hollianne Niles photos)

BANGOR, ME – A handful of early risers made their maiden voyages to Bangor Raceway on Sunday (July 6) for the opening week of the Maine Sire Stakes for 2-year-old trotters. 

Held before the regular card, the lone $11,133 division for Maine-bred 2-year-old trotting fillies was captured by Pembroke Lady in wire to wire fashion.

Driven by Heath Campbell the daughter of Pembroke Slugger got every call as she rounded the circuit through early fractions of :32.1 and 1:05.  Through that first half John Nason was following closely with I Think I Can, a daughter of Noble Venture.  Another Noble Venture lass, Nobella, was in rein to Wally Watson and tracked along in third.

As the field passed the third station in 1:37.1, the Valerie Grondin-trained Pembroke Lady was well in command, and then found herself all alone as I Think I Can changed her mind went off stride.  Trotting down the stretch Nobella inherited second as the pacesetter tripped the timer in 2:08 to take a maiden-breaking new record by 8-1/4 lengths.

Owned by Brenda Varney and bred by the late Bill Varney, it was the first purse race for the homebred lass who already had two qualifiers under her girth, and trotted home in a swift :30.4.

The $10,866 colt division was a walkover for Wilder N Idy, a 2-year-old son of To The Hilt. 

Driven by Mark Athearn for trainer Gretchen Athearn and owner Patrick Leavitt, the colt set fractions of :32.2, 1:06.2, and 1:38.1 before cruising home to take a new record of 2:09.2, last quarter in :31.1.

To The Hilt was bred by the late Mike Andrew.

Looking ahead, Wednesday’s (July 9) program at Bangor Raceway hosts two $12,162 Maine Sire Stakes divisions for 3-year-old pacing colts and geldings, carded as races three and five with post time 3:00 pm. 

For more information about the Maine Standardbred Breeders Stakes, follow our facebook page @MaineBreedersAssociation, or go to their website:  https://www.mainesirestakes.com

July 6, 2025, by Chris Tully, for First Tracks Cumberland
(Joe Shaw photo)

CUMBERLAND, ME – Cumberland Raceway put on a blockbuster card with over $112,000 in total purses on Saturday (July 5), with an entire day filled with lucrative late closer finals and three divisions of the Maine Sires Stakes.

Always At My Place tripped out to take the $15,000 Portland Pacing Series late closer final in a seasonal-best equaling 1:56.3.

Scoring from post five, the 14-year-old son of Always A Virgin sat a perfect two-hole trip behind pacesetter Dinner Party (2-1, Drew Campbell) to tip out around the final turn and score handily by 2-1/4 lengths.

Driven by Bruce Ranger for owner-trainer Scott Vickerson, it was his fifth win of the year, and the 72^nd lifetime victory for the veteran pacer who paid $6.20 to win.

JL’s Rock Star (14-1, McGwire Sowers) finished second; Sheriff N (2-1, Kevin Switzer Jr.) was third.

The $12,500 Bar Harbor final was captured by Windemere Ryan in 1:57.1.  Kevin Switzer Jr. guided the pacer from pillar to post for trainer Chris DuBois and owner Steve Rybka.  He paid $5.20.

Bruce Ranger took the overland route with Whata Twist to swoop the field and grab the $12,500 Moosehead final in 2:00.  Owned and trained by Mark Harris, he paid $5.80.

JS Peyton won the $12,500 Acadia Trotting Series final in 2:01.3.  Driven by Nick Graffam for trainer Benson Merrill and owners Bill Tracy, and John and Thelma Kiernan, it was a wire to wire score paying $4.80.

In Maine Sire Stakes action for 3-year-old trotters, Liberty’s Wildcard got his third win in a row while taking the $11,751 colt and gelding trot.  Driven by Kevin Switzer Jr., the son of Noble Venture made every call a winning one for trainer Marc Tardif and owner Leighton Property.  He was bred by Jerry Stratton Jr. and paid $2.20 as the 1/9 heavy favorite.

Katahdin Victory (Wally Watson) finished second; Just Foolin (Heath Campbell) was third.

The ‘bells’ tolled in both the $11,000-plus Maine Sire Sires for 3-year-old trotting fillies as Belabelle scored her second stakes win of the season for trainer-driver Eric Bickmore.  The daughter of Noble Venture was an easy winner in 2:06.4 for owner Bill Phipps, scoring by 3-1/2 lengths.   She paid $6.20 for the win and was bred in Maine by Stephen F. Hall.

Twisted Fate (4/5, Mike Cushing) finished second; Lady Lake Marty (2-1, Ken Watson) was third.

In the second $11,699 division Barbella overcame an early miscue to bounce back and trot home strongly in 2:05.2.  Driven by Bruce Ranger for trainer Ken Anderson and owner Bob Zakian, the daughter of Whataworkout picked up her second consecutive victory, paying $5.40.  She was bred by the late Mike Andrew.

The pacesetter Little Shot (9/5, Ivan Davies) finished second; Race Me Bombshell (15-1, Drew Campbell) was third.

Driver Bruce Ranger led all drivers with three wins on the program.  McGwire Sowers leads all drivers after 13 weeks of racing with 43 wins.  Drew Campbell is second with 29, followed by Aaron Hall with 27.  Autym Sowers is the meet’s leading conditioner with 31 victories.

Live video and replays can be found on the track’s website: firsttrackscumberland.com on the Live Racing / Video Replays tab.

First Track’s Cumberland Spring/Summer meet will continue throughout the Spring and early Summer months with regular racing on Friday and Saturday each weekend.  First post is slated for 3:15 pm (EDT) during the extended pari-mutuel meeting, which runs through August 2.

July 5, 2025, by Chris Tully, for First Tracks Cumberland
(Joe Shaw photos)

CUMBERLAND, ME – Maine’s fresh crop of 2-year-old pacing colts and geldings put on a show during Friday’s (July 4) Independence Day card at Cumberland Raceway, opening the program with two $10,500 divisions of the Maine Sires Stakes.

In the first division Kevin Switzer Jr. and 1/2 favorite Real Horrorshow sprinted to the lead with authority and pulled the field into a :29.3 opening panel.  Rebel’s Revenge (16-1, Aaron Hall) sat loose in the pocket with Itsjustmoney (5-2, Dave Ingraham) tracking along in third.

As Real Horrorshow put the group of green pacers to sleep with a 1:02.4 half, the son of Dude’s The Man was able to gain a three-length degree of separation from his followers into the 1:32.4 third stanza.  Silence ofdarkness (19-1, McGwire Sowers) pulled first over with Daytoremember (4-1, Heath Campbell) grabbing that cover in the outer flow as the group approached the final turn.

Down the stretch Real Horrorshow had a comfortable margin but Daytoremember had sling shot three-wide around the final turn and was bearing down on the leader.  The wire arrived with the pacesetter prevailing by 2-3/4 lengths in 2:04, giving Real Horrorshow a new lifetime mark.

Trained by Kevin Switzer Sr. for owners KDK Standardbreds, Kathleen Mofield and Anthony Sivik Jr., he paid $3.00 to win.

Bred by Luke and Patricia Varnun, ‘horrorshow’ is the phonetic spelling of ‘good’ in the language of Nadset, which was the dialect spoken in the 1971 cult classic film Clockwork Orange.  Real Horrorshow is from the Varnum’s Yankee Cruiser mare Pretty Eyes p,3,1:51.4 ($96,242) and is considered one of their favorite horses.

In the second $10,500 division, as expected Dude’s The Jet (1/2, Sowers) forged onto the lead, but not before some heavy lifting to get past Nuh Uh (7-1, Aaron Hall) and Quint Asper (6-1, Andrew Harrington) who had strategically protected their inside positions.

Dude’s The Jet finally grabbed command past the :29.3 opening panel, with Quint Asper enjoying a pocket trip and Nuh Uh sitting third.  As the field approached the 1:01.1 half mile marker, Switzer Jr. began his march forward with Ghost Of Winter (11-1) who had been trailing the field.

Past the 1:31.2 third station Dude’s The Jet enjoyed a comfortable margin but the challenge of Ghost Of Winter was short-lived allowing Nuh Uh to squeeze off the pylons and take it to the pacesetter.

The pair of freshmen pacers fought tooth and nail down the stretch with Nuh Uh having the momentum and the trip to upend the leader and prevail by three parts of a length in 2:03.1.

Owned and trained by Marc Tardif, the score established a new lifetime mark for the son of Deuce Seelster, who paid a handsome $16.60 to win.  He was bred in Maine by Gary and Kristina Hall.

Stable mate Dude’s The Jet finished second; Quint Asper was third.

Due to heavy rain last Saturday, a host of late closing series finals and consolations, were postponed and rescheduled for this week.  The Saturday (July 5) purses add up to $110,000 over the twelve-race card, which starts at the regular time of 3:15 pm.

The live harness racing includes four $12,500-plus finals of various late closing series, as well as three $10,500 divisions of the Maine Sire Stakes for 3-year-old trotters. 

In Pine Tree State-bred action, three horses (two fillies and one colt) will try to maintain their current two-stakes race winning streaks.  Lady Lake Marty (2-1, Ken Watson) in race one; Pandemic Princess (2-1, Heath Campbell) in race three; and Liberty’s Wildcard (1-1, Kevin Switzer Jr.) in race five, have all had everything their own way leading up to this week.  Only time, and perhaps the different venue, will tell the tale.

In overnight action, the richest of the four late closing series finals, the $15,000 Portland Pacing Series could see a repeat performance by the winner of the $12,500 Rockland series final, Dinner Party (5/2, Drew Campbell).  The 6-year-old son of American Ideal boasts five wins, four seconds and $25,540 in earnings this year.  He will have to tangle with the peaking Sheriff N (3-1, Switzer Jr.) who has won his last three but scores from post six.  Gate speed may tell the tale, as Always At My Place (9-2, Bruce Ranger) has shown he possesses while winning his previous leg in 1:56.3

For punters, there is a Trifecta in all races, and the program also features a plethora of exotic wagers.  Cumberland’s Pick 5 begins with the third race, and continues with our Pick 4 and Pick 3 toward the tail end of the program, and concludes with our High-Five Pentafecta in the final race—all with low 16% takeouts.

Live video and replays can be found on our website: firsttrackscumberland.com on the Live Racing / Video Replays tab.

First Track’s Cumberland Spring/Summer meet will continue throughout the Spring and early Summer months with regular racing on Friday and Saturday each weekend.  First post is slated for 3:15 pm (EDT) (except July 4 which is 2:15 pm) during the extended pari-mutuel meeting, which runs through August 2.

July 3, 2025 — by Chris Tully, for the Maine Sire Stakes
(Hollianne Niles photos)

BANGOR, ME – A dozen 3-year-old pacing fillies came right back to Bangor Raceway on Wednesday (July 2) for the third week of the Maine Sire Stakes for more action-filled harness racing under sunny skies.

In the first $11,927 division Ron Cushing’s Lysiun went from pillar to post as a one-to-nine shot should.  Scoring from post three, the hot and handy daughter of Dude’s The Man wasted little time gaining command of the field and set comfortable fractions of :29.2 and 1:00 to the half while enjoying a two-length margin.

McGwire Sowers pulled Wishin For Kisses (20-1) from sixth to start the outer flow while heading to the half.  Just around the 5/8’s turn they got jammed up by a breaker and were forced three-wide into a 1:29.3 third panel while gaining ground in fourth down the backside. 

Through all of this, Audry (45-1, Steve Wilson) had maintained pocket position while Thinkin Bout Life (19-1, Kevin Switzer Jr.) was thinking about their challengers while gapped in third.

Down the lane Lysiun added distance between her and the rest of the field, scoring in hand by five lengths in 1:59.1.

According to AI, ‘Lysiun’ appears to be a mindset focused on relentless effort and achieving goals.  It is associated with a “never give up” attitude and a commitment to personal growth and improvement.  Clearly the filly by the same name is living up to her moniker.

Owned and driven by Ron Cushing and trained by Heidi Cushing, it was the third stakes win in a row (fourth on the season) for the heavy favorite.  Lysiun has accrued $22,776 in just four seasonal starts.  She paid $2.20 to win and was bred in Maine by Lynne-Marie Plouffe. 

Audry finished second; Thinkin Bout Life was third.

In the second $11,926 division for sophomore distaffs, Chasing Dudes (3-1, Nick Graffam) blasted out for an early lead, followed in the pocket by Whisper Of Luck (5/2, Sowers).

They were all chasing the pacesetter Chasing Dudes past a snappy :28.4 opening panel with Glorilla (Ron Cushing) starting a pre-emptive strike in the outer flow down the backside.  Her presence forced a headstrong Dude’s Pretty Chick (16-1, Heath Campbell) to check her momentum while following along the pegs in third.

Wagering favorite Leanne Marie (8/5, Mike Cushing) picked up his brother’s cover second over as the field moved past the 1:00 half while in tight quarters. 

As the field paced down the backstretch for the second time, the first over Glorilla became rough gaited and was losing ground.  This forced Leanne Marie three-deep while approaching the 1:30 third stanza.

With Chasing Dudes feeling the pressure from Leanne Marie, things got a little sketchy for the favorite down the stretch as the pocket-sitting Whisper Of Luck bore out in the stretch while locked on the left line.

With all the mayhem left in her wake Chasing Dudes prevailed by 1-1/4 lengths in 2:00.2, a new lifetime best.

Driven by Nick Graffam for trainer and co-owner Mike Graffam (with partner-breeder Bob Marston), it was the first win of the year for the daughter of Dude’s The Man.  She paid $8.20 to win.

Leanne Marie got up for second; Dudes Pretty Chick was third.

Looking ahead, Friday’s (July 4) program at Cumberland Raceway has two $10,500 Maine Sire Stakes divisions for 2-year-old pacing colts and geldings, carded as races one and three with a special early post time 2:15 pm. 

For more information about the Maine Standardbred Breeders Stakes, follow our facebook page @MaineBreedersAssociation, or go to their website:  https://www.mainesirestakes.com