Marc Tardif sweeps Maine Breeders Stakes

CUMBERLAND, ME – Harness racing trainer Marc Tardif swept both $17,000-plus divisions of the Maine Standardbred Breeders Stakes (MSBS) for 2-year-old filly pacers at Topsham Fair on Tuesday (Aug. 9).

Katelyn’s Angel (Western Maverick) went a tough first over trip around the narrow Topsham turns to grab her first stakes victory while winning the $17,989 opener, billed as the Jake Phipps Memorial.

Scoring from post two with Kevin Switzer Jr. in the sulky, the filly got shuffled back to fifth as the field was led to the quarter in a snappy 30 seconds by La Mambacita (Ron Cushing / Heidi Gibbs).

Past the half in 1:01.1, Switzer Jr. pulled Katelyn’s Angel to challenge for the lead and was high and wide sticking a nose in front of La Mambacita at a 1:32.3 third panel.  Those two fillies battled around the final turn and down the stretch with Katelyn’s Angel prevailing by a neck in 2:04.

Bred by Lesley Leighton and now owned by Leighton Property, Katelyn’s Angel has two wins in five seasonal starts and paid $3.40 to win.

Justcallmemimi (Aaron Hall / Mike Graffam) finished third.

An early non-wagering race also went to a member of the Tardif Taskforce as Pickmepickme (Western Maverick) continued her winning ways, picking up the victor’s portion of the $17,814 MSBS purse.

Driven by Andy Harrington, the 2-year-old filly made every stanza a winning one, cruising home by 6-1/2 lengths in 2:03.2.  Owned and bred by Marc Tardif, it was the second stakes victory in a row for Pickmepickme who now has three wins in five starts this year.

Janie (Mark Athearn / Gretchen Athearn) finished second; Ally Mac (Aaron Hall / Mike Graffam) was third.

On Monday’s (Aug. 8) card, which was re-scheduled from Sunday, the opener went to pari-mutuel-busting longshot Wabanaki (Boy Band) who scored in the $18,214 MSBS for 2-year-old trotting colts and geldings.

Trained and driven by Ivan Davies, Wabanaki shocked the race favorite Outlawofthevalley and paid $44.60 to win for the maiden-breaking 2:08.3 mile.  Wabanaki is owned and was bred by Mike Andrew, who is also the co-breeder of National Season’s Leader Rebuff.

Outlawofthevalley (Kevin Switzer Jr. / Marc Tardif) finished second; Pembroke Traveler (Heath Campbell / Valerie Grondin) was third.

In Monday’s $18,714 MSBS 3-year-old male trot Katahdin Mark (Noble Venture) returned to his previous form, grabbing his fourth seasonal stakes victory in a wire-to-wire romp in 2:04.4.  Trained and driven by Gary Hall, Katahdin Mark is the home-bred property of Jim and Betsey Kelly and paid $7.00 to win.

Favorite Warriorofthevalley (Andy Harrington / Marc Tardif) finished second; Pembroke Fiber (Heath Campbell / Valerie Grondin) was third.

Two early non-wagering events for trotters:

She’salilbitmouthy (Victor Blue Chip) (MSBS $17,709, 2FT), won wire to wire in 2:09.2 and was driven by Mark Athearn for trainer Gretchen Athearn and owner Bill Phipps.  The filly was bred by Stephen Hall.

Pembroke Honcho (Pembroke Slugger) (MSBS $18,736, 3FT) won by a nose in 2:05.3 for driver Aaron Hall and trainer Valerie Grondin. The filly was bred by Lynn-Marie Plouffe and is now owned by Bill Varney.

Maine Breeders Stakes continue at Topsham through Saturday (Aug. 13), with the remaining MSBS fair schedule as follows:

Skowhegan, Aug. 14 – 20

Windsor, Aug. 27 – Sept. 5

Farmington, Sept. 18 – 21

Cumberland, Sept. 28 – Oct. 1 (2yo finals)

Fryeburg, Oct 6 – 8unite

Looking ahead, the Maine-sired sophomores return to Bangor once again for all of the 3-year-old MSBS divisional finals on Oct. 15.  The 2-year-old championships will be held two weeks earlier on Saturday (Oct. 1) at the Cumberland Fair.

For more information about the Maine Standardbred Breeders Stakes, follow our Facebook page @MaineBreedersAssociation, or go to the Maine State website by clicking here.

For complete race results, click here.

by Chris Tully, for the Maine Breeders Stakes