Big Al M shrugs off eight-hole for tenth win of the season

CUMBERLAND, ME – Big Al M (Anders Bluestone) was able to overcome the eight-hole and sprint to a wire-to-wire harness racing rout on Saturday (Nov. 22) at Cumberland Raceway, copping his second $5,500 conditioned trot feature in as many weeks.

When the Wes Brown starting gate wings folded top teamster Kevin Switzer Jr. blasted the 1/5 favorite out on a quest for the front end.  Mike Stevenson secured To My Credit (10-1) in the pocket, with Dave Ingraham and Inquiring Mind (11-1) settling third.

Following a taxing :28.1 opening panel the duo was able to soften the tempo while in command and moving toward the mid-way point.  Big Al M arrived at the half in 58.1 with Valyrian Steel (9-1, Cain MacKenzie) moving first over, followed by Brutalizer (5-1, Andy Harrington) second up.

No changes in the sequence followed as Switzer Jr. had control of the field through the 1:28 third station, when Harrington tipped Brutalizer three-wide to take his shot at the leader.

With the stretch drive underway, and a myriad of challengers trying valiantly to catch the pacesetter, Switzer Jr. hand-drove the 7-year-old son of Anders Bluestone to a 2-1/4 length victory in 1:59.1.

BIG AL M REPLAY

Owned and trained by Zach Vickerson, it was his tenth win of the season and 32^nd of his career.  Returning $2.60, he increased his lifetime bankroll to $523,455.

Inquiring Mind finished second; Brutalizer got up for third.

Driver Kevin Switzer Jr. enjoyed five wins on the program, and Mike Stevenson picked up a double, both of which lit up the tote board.  His own Coocooforcoco (2:00.1) paid $35.20 to win, and Kandace Niles’ Sweet Scarlett (2:02) returned $39.40.

Racing resumes on Sunday (November 23) at Cumberland.  The Pick 5 starts with the third race; our Pick 4 highlights the ninth, and our High-Five Pentafecta in the finale—all with low 16% takeouts.  Post time is 10:55 am for the 12-race card.

Our Winter Festival extended pari-mutuel meeting enjoys weekend action throughout the month of November.  Cumberland Raceway will transition to three days of harness racing each week (Fri-Sat-Sun) beginning December 5.  The 18-day meet runs until Dec. 21, 2025.

For more information go to our website: https://firsttrackscumberland.com/

Follow us on Facebook at @FirstTracksCumberland.

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

by Chris Tully, for First Tracks Cumberland