October 16, 2026, by Chris Tully for the Maine Sire Stakes

BANGOR, ME – Hollywood Casino Hotel and Raceway in Bangor, Maine hosts the $400,000-plus Maine Sire Stakes Finals on Saturday (Oct. 17) with four 3-year-old Pine Tree State-bred events.

One of the highlights of the rich card will be the $101,168 Maine Sire Stakes final for 3-year-old pacing colts and geldings, otherwise known as the glamour boys division.

With leading point earner Real Horrorshow not entered, the morning line favorite’s badge has been placed securely on Daytoremember (3-2, Heath Campbell) from post two.

The homebred property of trainer Valerie Grondin, the son of Dude’s The Man has established himself as the horse to beat with nine wins on the season with $81,584 earned.  With Bangor considered his “home track” and sporting a 1:56.3 record over the historic Bass Park oval, Daytoremember is looking to make this Saturday his day to remember in race nine.

Of course, trainer Marc Tardif is heavily invested in the program as well and sends six entrants into this divisional final, including second choice Rebel’s Revenge (7-2, Aaron Hall), as well as Silence Ofdarkness (4-1, Kevin Switzer Jr.) and Ghost Of Winter (7-1, Joey Mosher).

Race seven hosts the $101,168 Maine Sire Stakes final for 3-year-old filly pacers, with the previously undefeated distaff Snowonthepines looking for redemption.

Scoring from post four with Switzer Jr. in the bike, the winner of 20 of 21 races has been pegged as the 7-5 favorite.  Her only lifetime loss was by a nose in her last start at Fryeburg, at the hands of Graceofspades, who drew post five with Dave Ingraham. 

Snowonthepines has earned $93,439 this season and is a daughter of Dude’s The Man that is owned and was bred by Leighton Property.  Likely to be the horse to watch, and perhaps catch, as the front-end favoring lass will assuredly be forwardly placed for trainer Marc Tardif.

The second choice in that division is Ron Cushing’s Just Delightful who won her last start and scores from post two.

Race five is the $101,011 final for 3-year-old filly trotters with leading divisional star Hayden the heavy favorite at 3-5 on the morning line.  Trained and driven by Gary Hall to ten seasonal victories, the daughter of Cantab Fashion has earned $85,142 with just a pair of uncharacteristic miscues over the long season.  Owned and bred by Stephen Hall, she brings a three race winning streak into the lucrative final.

The second choice at 6-1 is Our Last Quote from the Sherry Cushing stable, who has a pair of wins in her last four starts.  Steve Wilson gets the call.

The $100,608 Maine Sire Stakes final for 3-year-old colt and gelding trotters is slated for 2:45 pm, as a non-wagering event shall be held before the regular betting card, which pits the two top horses in the division against one another for one final battle.

Wilder N Idy (Mark Athearn) leads the point standings by just 20 points over Gus’s Workout (Heath Campbell), with the pair trading punches over the summer and fall season.

A son of To The Hilt, Wilder N Idy has seven wins in 12 outings for trainer Gretchen Athearn and boasts $74,245 in seasonal earnings.  Bred by the late Mike Andrew, the gelding sometimes goes off stride behind the gate, and did so in his last start at Fryeburg.  He scores from pylon position, and will need to be on his best behavior for this main event.

In the other corner is Gus’s Workout, a son of Whataworkout that has five wins and six seconds in his dozen seasonal starts, earning $71,471.  Trained by Valerie Grondin for owner-breeder Lynn-Marie Plouffe, he brings form and consistency into this bout.  With three wins in his last five starts, he is handy enough to control the tempo, and surefooted enough to get the job done.

The Maine Sire Stakes finals represent the culmination of years of hard work and dedication of behalf of dozens of industry stakeholders, including, but not limited to the owners, breeders, trainers, drivers and caretakers of these equine athletes.

Not only do these horses represent a significant individual and collective investment in harness racing and agriculture in the state of Maine, but the peripheral revenue generated by the truck and trailer sales and maintenance, fuel suppliers, feed companies, hay producers, tack shops, blacksmiths, farm owners, and racetracks that give them a place to compete, generously exceeds seven figures annually.

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