Female trainers win eight of 11 at Farmington

Farmington, Maine …. In a sport whose major stars and branded leaders are generally men, the accomplishments of harness racing’s female participants often fly well under the radar. But on Friday (September 20) at the Farmington Fair, the afternoon program was so completely  commanded by horses harnessed by women trainers that their accolades demanded to be sung.

Eight of Friday’s eleven races were won by horses hailing from rosters managed by female trainers.

Sarah Harrington, currently the meet’s leading conditioner, claimed her seventh win of the weeklong meet when Gimme Some Lovin’ (Bettor’s Delight, 1;57.1-$2.80) glided gate-to-wire with driver Andy Harrington in the sulky. The win was the 6th of the season for the Peter Bouffard owned mare.

Patricia Sumner, who owns and trains American Maverick (Western Maverick, 1:59.3-$12.40), supplied the power for Harrington to nab his second win of the day when her Maine-bred charge roared around the raceway to claim his second consecutive fairgrounds romp. It was the 13th career win for the six-year-old.

Lisa Watson contributed a win in the women’s column when her Maine Sire Stakes standout, Whatawonder (Whataworkout, 2:04.1-$2.80) trotted to his ninth win of season for regular pilot Kenneth Watson while maintaining his undefeated record heading into next weekend’s freshman stakes championships to be held at the Cumberland Fair.

Valerie Grondin moved into second place on the leaderboard when she sent three winners to the post on Friday, including Middle Aged Crazy (Yankee Skyscraper, 1:59.3-$4.20-Heath Campbell) who maintained his 14-year-old bravado by scoring his second win in-a-row; Pandemic Princess (Whataworkout, 2:07-$9.20-Heath Campbell) who regained her winning ways in a $19,666 Maine Sire Stakes split after making costly missteps in each of her prior two: and Chipper Dale (Shake It Off Lindy, 2:03.3-NB), who Grondon drove herself, to secure the seventh win of the season for the sophomore Maine Sire Stakes star.

Autym Robinson, the meet’s third rated trainer, rounded out Friday’s featured females at Farmington, when she handed off Melanie’s Jackson (Hypnotic Blue Chip, 1:59.3-$22.20) and Vel Miss Taylor (Ponder, 1:58.1-$74.20) to driver McGwire Sowers who steered them to tight first place finishes, both requiring three-way photos to determine the outcome.

With just one day remaining in the Farmington Fair meet and with the top three spots on the conditioner’s leaderboard occupied by female trainers, it’s a pretty good bet that a woman will be etching her name in the Farmington annuls this season.

Get to the track on Saturday afternoon to find out which one.

Maine’s Farmington Fair concludes on Saturday (September 21) with post time at 2:00 P.M. It’s signal is available for offtrack and online wagering at most major platforms and brick and mortar facilities around the nation.

For complete non-wagering race results, click here: US Trotting results.

For complete pari-mutuel race results, click here: US Trotting results.

by Mike Sweeney, for Farmington Fair