Little Macabee takes on top trotters in Cumberland return

CUMBERLAND, ME – This weekend’s 26-race Thanksgiving feast at Cumberland Raceway starts right off with the main course, as the $6,000 featured winners over trot is carded as the harness racing opener on Saturday (Nov. 30).

Leading the pack in the marquis event is Chad and Maryann Tompkins’ Little Macabee (9-5, Drew Campbell) who scores from pylon position.  Installed as the early morning line favorite, the 10-year-old son of the sport’s leading trotting sire Chapter Seven, the five-time seasonal winner has found a softer landing following his last three outings at Plainridge.  With 40 wins lifetime, the ‘little horse that could’ will be the one to catch.

Voted ‘most likely to upset’ is the 5-2 Jax Spratt (Devious Man, Aaron Hall) who has four wins in his last five starts.  The 4-year-old has won nearly half of his 26 seasonal starts, and gets around his home track with ease.  Also in top form is French-bred trotter Empereurthebest FR (3-1, Walter Case Jr.), who hails from the Dunn stable and won his last two efforts by open lengths.  In fact, all but one of the entrants have taken a victory lap in their last two starts.

There is also a pair of $5,000 conditioned events, a trot and a pace, carded as races four and eleven respectively.  The fourth race trot sees Kimberly Vafiades’ Squable (Trixton, 9-5, Drew Campbell) seeking his second consecutive victory against this bunch.  The 6-year-old has five wins in 22 seasonal outings, with another nine second and third place finishes.  Owned by Jason Vafiades, the horse has missed one check in his last nine programmed lines.

Another French ex-pat Empire City FR (3-1, Benson Merrill) is moving up in class after a win last week and will try to take advantage of his early gate speed.

Two Maine-sired mares will renew their sophomore rivalry when the distaffs met in battle half a dozen times in last season’s pacing filly ranks.  South St Dottie (4-1, Nick Graffam) and Katelyn’s Angel (2-1, Aaron Hall) will face off once again in the $5,000 conditioned pace toward the latter part of the program.

The entire program has a lot of action for horse players with 10 of 13 events boasting full seven or eight horse fields.  The Pick 5 starts with the third race; our Pick 4 highlights the tenth, and our High-Five Pentafecta in the final race—all with low 16% takeouts.

The action continues on Sunday (Dec. 1) with a 13-race card of full fields, which includes a $5,500 conditioned pace and a $4,000 leg of the Maine Amateur Driving Club with series leader Hunter Lofthus scoring from post six with 3-2 favorite Real Thing.

First Tracks Cumberland will transition to three days of harness racing each week (Fri-Sat-Sun) beginning, next week on December 6.  The 19-day meet continues through Dec. 22, 2024, and post time is always 10:55 am.  Our popular Au Revoir Retirement Ceremonies are slated for Saturday, Dec. 21.

For more information go to our website: firsttrackscumberland.com, or find us on Facebook: @FirstTracksCumberland

For complete Saturday race entries, click here: US Trotting entries.

by Chris Tully, for First Tracks Cumberland