Track record performance for So Rock N’ Roll

Farmington, Maine …. So Rock N’ Roll (Western Maverick) added yet another harness racing track record to his quiver of honors when he blasted around the oval at Maine’s Farmington Fair on Saturday (September 21) in the $15,000 Farmington Fair Invitational, tripping the tele-timer in a sterling 1:54.4 to become the fastest four-year-old gelding to ever tour the western-Maine venue. The effort supplanted the previous standard  of 1:55.2 which was set by Hall Bro (Ron Cushing) in 2015.

On a cool and cloudy afternoon, in front of an overflow crowd, driver Bruce Ranger regained his customary seat behind the four-year-old Maine-bred son of Western Maverick and quickly recreated the magic that, earlier this season, captured divisional track standards at both Bangor Raceway and the Topsham Fair.

Allowed to leave unhindered, Ranger throttled back So Rock N’ Roll before even entering the first turn, reaching the quarter-mile marker in a less than invitation class clocking of :29.

Maintaining a comfortable margin over the pocket-sitting Lifes A Puzzle (Kevin Switzer, Jr), Ranger incrementally increased the tempo to reach the half timed in a slightly heartier :57.3 as the realization began to dawn that the contest might well have already been decided by pace-setting tempo alone.

Speeding away from his following foes, the daring duo reached the three-quarter-mile marker timed in 1:25.4 in the midst of generating a sterling :57.1 back-half, before reaching the wire a measured length the best, while the appreciative crowd roared its approval.

The Wild Card (Nick Graffam) rallied for the runner-up placing while Lifes A Puzzle finished third.

So Rock N’ Roll is trained by Benson Merrill for owner Leighton Property. The win was the 13th top class victory of the season for the state-bred star who increased his career bankroll to $323,291.

In other Farmington news, Kevin Switzer, Jr won the drivers championship with eleven wins at the weeklong meet while Valerie Grondin and Sarah Harrington shared top trainer honors with six conditioning wins apiece.

Maine’s harness racing scene now transitions over to the Cumberland fairgrounds whose eight day meet gets underway starting on Sunday (September 22) with post time slated for 1:30 p.m. (EDT).

For complete race results, click here: US Trotting results.

by Mike Sweeney, for Farmington Fair