Switzer clinches Windsor crown with Labor Day hat trick

Windsor, Maine …. Kevin Switzer, Jr continued his mastery of Maine’s fairground circuit on Monday (September 1), scoring three harness racing wins over the course of Windsor’s Labor Day program while cementing his hold on the 2025 Windsor Fair driving championship.

Switzer scored 25 top-tallies over the course of the week-long meet, nearly twice as many as his nearest rival, Aaron Hall, who secured 13 driving wins at Windsor.

Switzer’s hat trick was punctuated by one of the most strategically perfect drives to be witnessed over the course of the meeting, as he guided the Michelle LeFebrve trained, De Chirico (So Surreal), to his fourth consecutive win.

Scoring from post six, Switzer steadied his charge along the outer rim as horses from the inside wing and second tier jockeyed for early position. Only after He Can Rock (Michael Stevenson) put the field in line after gaining the point, did Switzer unleash De Chirico’s lethal early brush.

Rushing toward the top through a tepid opening panel of :29.2, De Chirico gained the lead just prior to entering the second turn. Grinning with guile, Switzer then deadened an already pedestrian pace, gaining a breather to the half in :59.3, as the rest of the field began to realize their predicament.

Recognizing the lack of pace, Aaron Hall pulled Illicit Affair into a first-over assault, eventually gaining De Chirico’s flank but advancing no further, as the field hit three-parts in 1:29.4.

In a move that would have made the legendary Harold Story proud, Switzer used Illicit Affair like a pawn on a chessboard, blocking the forward progress of the outer flow and keeping He Can Rock trapped in the pocket, as the field bunched together around the final turn.

With Illicit Affair stalled and He Can Rock trapped, Always A Mystery (Chris Nye)  slingshotted three wide off the bend, but with Switzer masterfully commanding tempo while thwarting forward advancement, the deal was already sealed before Nye ever left the pylons.

De Chirico, an eight-year-old son of So Surreal, paraded victorious for the 20th time in his career, after posting the half-length margin timed in a seasonal best 1:59.

He Can Rock rode the pegs to the runner-up placing while Always A Mystery’s three-wide gambit netted him third.

Switzer has now won the driving championship at each of Maine’s first three fairground meetings, adding the Windsor crown to top honors previously gained at the Topsham and Skowhegan Fairs.

Maine’s harness racing circuit now transitions back to Bangor Raceway’s commercial meet which will reopen on Wednesday (September 3) for a four day September fling. Post time for Wednesday’s card will be at 3:00 pm (EDT) followed by 12:10 pm cards on Saturday and Sunday (September 6 and 7) before ending with a 3:00 pm performance on Wednesday (September 10).

For complete race results, click here: US Trotting Results

by Mike Sweeney for Windsor Fair