August 26, 2025, by Chris Tully, for the Maine Sire Stakes
(Joe Shaw photos)
WINDSOR, ME – A pair of $17,000 divisions of the Maine Sire Stakes for 2-year-old pacing colts and geldings went postward on Monday (Aug. 25) at Windsor, with both sides of the win spectrum on display.
In the $16,948 non-wagering opener for freshmen sidesteppers it was Marc Tardif’s Dude’s The Jet who broke his maiden in wire-to-wire fashion for hot driver Kevin Switzer Jr.
Scoring from post two, the son of Dude’s The Man made every call a winning one as he went down the road posting fractions of :29.1 and 1:00.1 to the half, with only stable mate Rebel’s Revenge (Andy Harrington) within striking distance.
As Dude’s The Jet led the field past the third panel in 1:30, several colts trying to get back into the race were three wide down the backside. However, no one could catch the pacesetter as Switzer let out a notch and cruised home by a pair of lengths in 2:00.3.
Trained by Marc Tardif for owners Leighton Property and Victoria Leighton, it was the colt’s first victory in five previous outings. He was bred in Maine by Fred Decker.
Rebel’s Revenge finished second; Nuh Uh (Aaron Hall) was fourth placed third.
In the second $17,124 Maine Sire Stakes for 2-year-old male pacers, it was no surprise that Switzer Jr. would put his father’s unbeaten gelding Real Horrorshow on the front end and play catch me if you can.
Reeling off fractions of :29.2 and 1:01 to the half, it was obvious to observers that the soft half would play well for the divisional star’s unblemished record.
With Daytoremember (Heath Campbell) glued to his helmet in the pocket, Switzer Jr. let out a notch and hit the third station in 1:30.4. Campbell and his charge stayed right with the ‘favorite’ and the pair battled down the lane unleashing identical :28.3 final quarters.
When the dust settled Real Horrorshow had maintained his measured 1-1/2 length advantage over the challenging Daytoremember and took home the trophy in 1:59.2, which is just a tick off of his season’s best clocking. Taking his sixth consecutive victory, the emerging talent has accrued $40,281 this year.
Trained by Kevin Switzer Sr. for KDK Standardbreds, Kathleen Mofield and Anthony Sivik Jr., the son of Dude’s The Man was bred in Maine by Luke and Patricia ‘Tuffy’ Varnum.
Itsjustmoney (Aaron Hall) finished third in the second non-wagering event.
The Maine Sire Stakes continues at the Windsor Fair with the 3-year-old colt and gelding pacers on Tuesday (Aug. 26), followed by all the 2- and 3-year-old trotters on Friday (Aug. 29) to kick off the holiday weekend. The 2-year-old filly pacers arrive on the Saturday (Aug. 30) Windsor program, with 3-year-old filly pacers on Sunday (Aug. 31) and finally the 2-year-old colt pacers to close out the long weekend on Monday (Sept. 1).
For more information about the Maine Standardbred Breeders Stakes, follow our facebook page @MaineBreedersAssociation, or go to their website: https://www.mainesirestakes.com
