June 19, 2025 — by Chris Tully, for the Maine Sire Stakes
(Hollianne Niles photos)
BANGOR, ME – Last year’s freshman pacing phenom Massive Speed, who won every Maine event that he ever entered, started his sophomore season in similar fashion as Bangor hosted two $12,387 divisions of the Maine Sire Stakes for 3-year-old male pacers on Wednesday (June 18).
Part of the powerful Tardif Taskforce, Massive Speed assembled an impressive ten-for-ten record in the Pine Tree State during 2024, and with a few solid efforts in the Mass. Stakes as well, the son of Dude’s The Man amassed $134,530 in purse earnings at two.
Fast forward to the present, and it looks like the Marc Tardif-trained, Leighton Property-owned gelding will be, once again, the one to watch in this season’s glamour boys division.
Racing off of a single qualifier in late May, regular pilot Walter Case Jr. moved the heavy 1/5 favorite Massive Speed to the pegs from post two, and observed patiently as a scramble for the lead unfolded between stable mate Dawn Two Dark (9-1, Kevin Switzer Jr.) and This Dude’s Perfect (32-1, Drew Campbell).
Just past the :29.1 opening panel Massive Speed took command following a swift early bid. Heading into the :59.4 half mile marker Bill Childs pulled Race Me Celtic first over but failed to advance into the 1:29.2 third panel.
Around the final turn Dawn Two Dark tipped to the outside to challenge the accomplished pacesetter as the battlers stepped away from the rest of the field.
With an impressive surge approaching the finish Dawn Two Dark had the momentum but not the distance as the wire arrived and Massive Speed held on as a half-length winner in 1:58, which equaled his lifetime best.
Massive Speed was bred by Laurie Harding and paid $2.40 to win. This Dudes Perfect finished third.
In the other $12,387 division John Nason steered his own Ridgecrest Dan to a pocket seat score.
When the wings folded Heath Campbell blasted out to an early lead with Dude’s Wanted Man (8-1) while the Nason-trained and driven 1/5 favorite held his ground in the two-hole and forced No Guts No Glory (30-1, Switzer Jr.) into third position.
Dude’s Wanted Man controlled the tempo into a :29.1 opening panel, with Cheatin Fate (28-1, Case Jr.) flushing the cover of Bourbonstreetblues (47-1, McGwire Sowers) while the field passed the half in 1:00.3.
Around the five-eighths marker Nason popped the deuce briefly, but was thwarted by the first over momentum of Bourbonstreetblues. However that first-up move was short-lived as the Sowers-driven colt called it a day and jammed up the rest of the field as they approached the 1:29.3 third stanza.
With Campbell and Nason leading pack with their respective charges, Nason had the pace around the turn and the speed through the stretch to overtake the pacesetter and score by 1-1/4 lengths in 1:58.3, a new lifetime best.
Owned by Bill Phipps, the son of Dude’s The Man paid $2.40 to win his second race of the season. He was bred by Jason Vafiades. No Guts No Glory finished third.
Looking ahead, Sunday’s (June 22) Bangor program hosts all the divisions of Maine Sire Stakes for 3-year-old trotters.
For more information about the Maine Standardbred Breeders Stakes, follow our facebook page @MaineBreedersAssociation, or go to their website: https://www.mainesirestakes.com
