August 11, 2024 — by Chris Tully, for the Maine Sire Stakes (Stephanie Gray photo)
TOPSHAM, ME – Maine’s 2- and 3-year-old trotters wrapped up the meet at Topsham Fair on Saturday (Aug. 10) to compete in four $16,000-plus divisions of the Maine Sire Stakes, with trainer Valerie Grondin capturing three-quarters of the events.
Pandemic Princess ran off and hid from her competitors in the $16,341 Maine Sire Stakes for 2-year-old trotting fillies, dominating by seven lengths in 2:09.1 for driver Heath Campbell and trainer Grondin.
The daughter of Whataworkout never had an anxious moment as she added more distance between herself and her rivals with every stride in the final half. She paid $7.80 to win her second race of the season. Owned and bred by Lynne-Marie Plouffe, she has earned $20,163 in four lifetime starts.
Little Shot (Ivan Davies) finished second; Katahdin Mistress (Wally Watson) was third.
In the early non-betting races Whatawonder started off the action in the $16,028 freshmen male trot, extending his win streak to five for trainer Lisa Watson and driver Ken Watson. The son of Whataworkout made every call a winning one, holding off the late charge of stable mate Katahdin Victor (Wally Watson) to score by three parts of a length in 2:08.1.
Owned and bred by Barbara Lawson, the top horse in the 2-year-old trotting colt division has never seen the back of a helmet and has grossed $32,506, so far this year.
Liberty’s Wildcard (Walter Case Jr.) finished third.
Another divisional stand out is Pembroke Breeze in the 3-year-old trotting filly group. The daughter of Pembroke Slugger has also triumphed in five consecutive outings, and just eclipsed six figures in lifetime earnings by taking her split by 3-3/4 lengths in 2:09.1.
Driven by Heath Campbell to a wire-to-wire romp, she is trained by Valerie Grondin and has earned $105,316 in her career for owner-breeder Bill Varney.
Bernie’s Legacy (Dave Ingraham) finished second; My Saving Grace (Mark Athearn) was third.
In the third and final non-wagering race Chipper Dale and Drew Campbell led every step of the way in the 3-year-old colt and gelding trot, stopping the timer in 2:09.2. Prevailing by 2-1/4 lengths to capture his fourth win of the season, and third in a row, the son of Shake It Off Lindy is owned and was bred by Lynne-Marie Plouffe and is a half-brother to Pandemic Princess. Trained by Valerie Grondin, Chipper Dale has earned $113,422 lifetime.
Stable mate Pembroke Will (Heath Campbell) finished second; Carrabassett (Mark Athearn) was third.
The Maine Sire Stakes makes the move north to the Skowhegan State Fair on Monday (Aug. 12) with two divisions of 2-year-old pacing colts and geldings. The Maine-bred action continues throughout the week at the Skowhegan State Fair August 13-14 and 16-17.
For more information about the Maine Sire Stakes, follow our facebook page @MaineBreedersAssociation, or go to their website: https://www.mainesirestakes.com
