First round Rick Cushing Memorial held

CUMBERLAND, ME – Harness racing driver Andrew Harrington swept the early Daily Double which included the first div. of the second leg of the Rick Cushing Memorial on Tuesday (Dec. 14) at Cumberland.

Harrington grabbed the two-hole from post three with Amarettigone which saw pylon position leaver Rojas Blue Chip (Mike Stevenson) cut sensible fractions of 29.2, and 1:01.1 to the half.

Once the outer flow started with Manhattan Express (Drew Campbell) first over, the combatants were ‘two-in’ and ‘four-out’ as the field passed the three-quarters in 1:31.1.

Sitting in the catbird seat, Harrington never had an anxious moment when he found racing room in deep stretch to score with the 7-year-old Real Desire mare in 2:02.4 on a track rated ‘good.’

Trained by Hunter Moody for owner Patricia Moody-D’Angelo, Amarettigone paid $12.40 to win.  Rojas Blue Chip finished second, Manhattan Express was third.  The 3-1 exacta paid $26.80.

AMARETTIGONE REPLAY

The second div. of the Rick Cushing Memorial went to Jo Pa’s Sweet Lou in 2:01.4.  Trained and driven by the husband-and-wife team of Lisa and Wally Watson, the 5-year-old son of Sweet Lou is owned by Mark Jacoff.

Jo Pa’s Sweet Lou paid $24.60 to win.  Mr Wiggle Pants (Drew Campbell) finished second, Bettoriffic (Matt Athearn) was third.  The 5-2 exacta paid $43.10.

Safety Second was the only horse to repeat, taking the third div., and winning back-to-back legs of the Rick Cushing Memorial.  Dan Deslandes smoked the field by over 14 lengths to stop the timer in 2:00.1.  Safety Second paid $2.40 to win.  Whatchagonnadoboo (Aaron Hall) finished second; Pembroke Ranger (Luke Varnum) was third.

Trained by Karl Butterfield, and previously owned by Barry Franklin, Safety Second was claimed from the last leg by Charles “Butch” Eaton for $4,000 and will surely be the favorite for the final.

Roderick “Rick” Cushing of Wilton, Maine was a well-respected trainer & driver for over 40 years on the New England circuit and is also the late father of Mike and Ron Cushing, who have carried on the family’s commitment and passion for Maine harness racing.  The top eight money earners (listed below) that raced in both legs and subsequently enter will qualify for the $10,000 final on Wednesday, December 22.

Bruce Ranger also had two wins on the program, which puts him one victory ahead of Drew Campbell in the on-going battle for Cumberland’s top dash-winning reinsman.

Racing continues on Wednesday (Dec. 15) and then resumes once again on Saturday (Dec. 18) and Sunday (Dec. 19), post time for all race dates is 11:00 a.m.

The Winter Festival extended pari-mutuel meeting continues with live harness racing several days each week through December 31, 2021, which is also the date of our special retirement ceremonies for 14-year-old Standardbred horses.

For more information, go to our website: firsttrackscumberland.com.

RICK CUSHING MEMORIAL EARNINGS STANDINGS

(For all horses that raced in both legs and eligible for final)

1)     $ 4,000      Safety Second

T-2)  $ 2,480      Bettoriffic

T-2)  $ 2,480      Pembroke Ranger

4)     $ 2,200      Jo Pa’s Sweet Lou

T-5)  $ 2,000      Amarettigone

T-5)  $ 2,000      Mr Wiggle Pants

T-5)  $ 2,000      Whatchagonnadoboo

8)     $ 1,320      Lucky Michael

9)     $ 1,200      Rojas Blue Chip

10)    $   960      Manhattan Express

11)    $   800      Redbreast Hanover

12)    $   640      Invictus Hanover

13)    $   520      Bolt Ruler

14)    $   480      Baileys Legacy

15)    $   400      Star Of Terror

16)    $   320      Zampara

17)    $   200      Ima Tragedy N

For full race results, click here.

by Chris Tully, for First Tracks Cumberland