August 10, 2026 — by Chris Tully, for the Maine Sire Stakes
(Joe Shaw photo)
TOPSHAM, ME – A true sign of summer is when the Maine Sire Stakes and harness racing in general makes its annual swing into the Pine Tree State’s agricultural fair circuit. Sunday (Aug. 9) the region’s 3-year-old filly pacers rolled into the historic Topsham Fair for a pair of $15,000-plus divisions of sidestepping action featuring the unbeaten phenom, Snowonthepines.
Carded as two early, non-wagering races, the two divisions garnered ample attention despite the lack of betting as fans arrived early to see the filly that has never seen the back of a helmet in fifteen career outings. Regular driver Kevin Switzer Jr. handled the driving duties in her $15,209 split, with the daughter of Dude’s The Man scoring from post six for trainer Marc Tardif.
Switzer Jr. left swiftly from the outermost post position and was met with some opposition for the front by Just Delightful (Ron Cushing) who stung the unbeaten one into a :28.3 opening panel before clearing.
Those two horses had several lengths on the pack as they reduced the tempo and hit the half in :59.1 with Ekorus (Nick Graffam) sitting third.
More daylight separated the rest of the participants while heading into a 1:29.1 third station with Snowonthepines on top and trying pace away from her nemesis Just Delightful. Around the turn and down the stretch Cushing pulled the pocket to engage the leader to no avail. Switzer Jr. asked for more and got it as the pacesetter rolled down to the wire in 1:58.2, winning by 3-3/4 lengths.
Snowonthepines won all nine of her races at two, and now has six wins this year for trainer Marc Tardif and owner-breeder Leighton Property, bankrolling $145,117.
Race Me Ireland (Andy Harrington) finished third.
In the other $15,209 division for 3-year-old pacing fillies, Heymickeyyousofine enjoyed a gate-to-wire triumph for driver Heath Campbell, picking up her third lifetime victory.
Campbell hustled the filly to the top and protected his pylon position as they sprint through early fractions of :29.1 and 59.1.
The first to pull was She’s A Firefly (Nick Graffam) who tracked alongside Dudelookslikeafily (Aaron Hall) who sat a pocket trip. Past the 1:29 third panel Campbell let out a notch and the filly responded by drawing off by five lengths to score in 1:58.3, a new lifetime best.
Owned by Jason Vafiades and bred in Maine by Kimberly Vafiades Heymickeyyousofine is by Dude’s The Man.
Dudelookslikeafily finished second; She’s A Firefly was third.
Looking ahead, with Maine’s pari-mutuel tracks on summer hiatus, Topsham hosts the 3-year-old male pacers on Monday (Aug. 10). Then, all of the Pine Tree State-bred 2- and 3-year-old trotters invade the Topsham Fair on Wednesday (Aug. 12), followed by the 2-year-old filly pacers on Thursday (Aug. 13).
For more information about the Maine Standardbred Breeders Stakes, follow them on Facebook @MaineBreedersAssociation, or go to their website: MaineSireStakes.com
