Kevin Switzer, Jr crowned King of the Midway at Topsham Fair

Topsham, Maine … Kevin Switzer, Jr was crowned King of the Midway on Wednesday (Aug. 9) as Maine’s harness racing circuit continued its transition to the pari-mutuel fair portion of the season.

Making its first stop of the year at the venerable Topsham Fairgrounds, where Maine’s agricultural heritage has been celebrated for 169 years, Switzer put on an exhibition of equine-based excellence, dominating the action on the raceway, while winning four of the eight races programmed.

The man in blue and black colors teamed up with his sister, trainer Candace Brandstatter, to deliver three of his four victories, kicking off their prodigious day with a strategic gate-to-wire masterpiece with Aces Rock (1:59.3-$3.00). After effortlessly gaining the early lead, Switzer lulled the competition to sleep with a throwback 32.2 second panel before speeding home through a brisk 58.2 back-half to post the 4-1/4 length jiggy-jog.

The siblings flexed more muscle in their second appearance of the day, once again opting for the pike route as Showme Some Muscle (2:02.2-$3.60, Muscle Mass) trotted to his third consecutive win. He remains undefeated since joining the Brandstatter roster in July.

Team Kevin and Candace lit up the tote board while delivering their third win of the afternoon as Its Mesmerise N (1:59.3-$32.40, American Ideal) swooped the field at 16-1 odds en route to a two-length margin at the wire. A regular along the mid-Atlantic metropolitan circuits, she thrived in the clear Pine Tree State air, making her first start in the Brandstatter Stable a winning one.

Switzer’s fourth win on the card came in a $14,917 split of the Maine Sire Stakes program as he confidently steered Luke McGook (2:00-$2.20) to his sixth win of the season for trainer Marc Tardif. The win was one of two sire stakes scores on the card for the powerful colt conditioner.

In other fairgrounds news, in a generational battle of sorts, Walter Case, Jr (age 62) and Winter Asher-Stalbaum (age 19) both recorded driving doubles on the Wednesday program.

Harness racing resumes the Topsham Fair on Thursday (August 10) at 4:00 p.m. (EDT). The weeklong meet will conclude with a 1:00 post time on Saturday (August 12). Saturday’s card will feature the annual $12,000 open-class Topsham Fair Initiational.

by Mike Sweeney, for Topsham Fairgrounds