Nick Graffam bowls them over with four-bagger

Farmington, Maine – The front-end seat proved to be prime real estate for harness racing driver Nick Graffam at the Farmington Fair on Wednesday (Sep. 21) as the man in red and gold colors parlayed four trips down the highway into four jaunts down Victory Lane.

Graffam excelled in setting soft fractions throughout the afternoon, taking full advantage of a lack of early engagement while strolling to the half no brisker than 1:00.1 in any of his four victory marches. This throwback style enabled Graffam’s charges to effectively sprint home through quickening fractions with the competition left gasping in fruitless pursuit.

Graffam’s first win came in the madly anticipated cage match between Maine Sire Stakes sophomore stars, Wolverina (Cheyenne Hollywood-Teri I Fra) and Pembroke Legacy who drew into the same $18,211 stakes split for the first time this season. Wolverina proved the best in this showdown, extending out at the wire timed in 1:59.

Bay Brute (Somebeachsomewhere) then muscled his way off the gate, backing down the half in 1:00.1 before sizzling home to a three-length victory timed in 1:57.1. Eye-popping :57-second back-halves proved remedial work for this newcomer to the Karl Butterfield roster.

Maine-bred competitors have always been a mainstay of the Graffam family roster, so it was no surprise to see a seven-year-old Maine Sire Stakes graduate take his turn in Nick’s winner’s circle celebrations. Woody’s Cash Crop (Cheyenne Hollywood) gave Graffam his third win on the program as they waltzed through the Farmington stretch timed in 1:59.4.

And while french toast is generally thought of as breakfast food, a pacer named Twin B Frenchtoast (Sunshine Beach) provided a satisfying dessert on Wednesday, sweetly serving up Graffam’s fourth win on the program in a well-measured 2:00.2.

Live harness racing will be featured at the Farmington Fair every afternoon through September 24th with post time slated for 2:00 p.m. (EDT)

For complete race results, click here.

by Mike Sweeney, for the Farmington Fair