Switzer has big day at Cumberland

CUMBERLAND, ME – Harness racing driver Kevin Switzer Jr. won three of four consecutive races on Saturday’s (April 16) program at First Tracks Cumberland, which culminated in a 1:56.4 score in the $6,500 Open I-II Pace with Deetzy.

“Switz” started the day off with a romp in the third race with Meetmeatthedance, cruising to victory by three lengths in the first division of the Kick-Off Late Closer Series #2.  Switzer Jr. guided the 6-year-old son of A Rocknroll Dance to a 2:01.1 wire-to-wire triumph for trainer Bob Marston and owner Joe Burke.  Smart Move (Aaron Hall) finished second and advanced to the $10,000 final next week.

Meetmeatthedance paid $3.20 to win.

Race four witnessed Switzer Jr. giving longshot Cool Jack a textbook steer as they took the $4,800 cond. pace.

Scoring from post two, as the wings folded Cool Jack got shuffled back to fifth as four other horses sprinted to the front to fight for the lead.  Flight Deck N (Dan Deslandes) was the first to clear the front from post four, in a snappy 28 second first quarter.  Shanghai Bobby (post 5, Ron Cushing) was next to take command into a 57.2 half.

Past the paddock turn Matt Athearn moved Ry’s Red Rocket first over and Switzer Jr pulled Cool Jack out to follow second over down the backside.  Athearn cleared with Ry’s Red Rocket into a 1:27.1 three-quarter time, leaving ‘Switz’ plenty of racing room to roll through to the wire.  The 9-year-old son of Camluck prevailed by two lengths in 1:57 flat, giving young Zachary Gray his second lifetime training win.

Cool Jack paid a whopping $34.60 to win for owner Sheryl Gray.

Kevin Switzer Jr. picked up his third win on the card with the aforementioned Deetzy in the Open Pace.  Scoring from the outside post seven, Switzer got away fourth, sat for a spell, and then pulled just before the second stanza.

While continuing to apply pressure through the second half mile, the pair prevailed by half a length in 1:56.4 over the entry of Captain Nash (1, Bruce Ranger) and Nagle (1A, Dan Deslandes), who finished third by three quarters of a length.

Trained by Karl Butterfield for owner Jose Cervantes, the 10-year-old son of Jereme’s Jet picked up his second win in a row, paying $9.20 to his backers.

DEETZY REPLAY

Walter Case Jr. cruised to victory with the favorite Oceanview Echo to capture the second div. $5,000 Kick-Off LC Series #2 in 1:59.2.  Winning by over five lengths for owner/trainer Dana Whittemore the 5-year-old Rollwithitharry mare paid $2.60 to win.  Also advancing to the $10,000 final are Three Day Forecast and Silver Shooter who locked in a dead heat for second and also had the fastest race time (2:00.2).

The third and final $5,000 Kick-Off LC Series split went to Sandinista and Andy Harrington in 2:00.2.  Trained by Sara Harrington, the 10-year-old son of Santanna Blue Chip is owned by Robert Gibbs.

Sandinista paid $25.20 to win.  Racing For Rick (Matt Athearn) finished second and also earned a trip to the $10,000 Kick-Off #2 final on Saturday (April 23).  The 2-1 Exacta paid $93.10.  American Fighter (Nick Graffam) finished third, completing a 2-1-6 Trifecta that paid $1,021.50.

Also, on the 12-race program were two divisions of the $6,000 Kick-Off LC Series #3, which provided entrants with strong purses and a chance to grab some of the $12,000 final purse next Saturday at Cumberland.

The first div. saw Colorful Speech (Bruce Ranger) paint a wire-to-wire picture of perfection to win by 1 ½ lengths in 2:00.1.  Trained and co-owned by Zach Vickerson with Milt Vickeron, the 10-year-old son of Well Said is two-for-two on the season and paid $2.40 to win.

Eleanor Jean (Gary Mosher) finished second with Baywood Shadow (Kevin Switzer Jr.) getting up for third.  They advance to the $12,000 final, along with the fastest fourth place finisher, Rose Run Slider (Nick Graffam).

In the second and final div. $6,000 Kick-Off LC Series #3, longshot Cyclone Pass flew by the leaders in the homestretch like tornado.  Driven by Nick Graffam for trainer Michael Graffam, the 12-year-old son of Western Cyclone unleashed a 29.3 last quarter to win by half a length in 2:00.4.

Cyclone Pass paid $14.80 to win and is owned by Diane Frazier.

Count To Three (Wally Watson) finished second, Rockintheniteaway (Kevin Switzer Jr.) was third.  All three earn a berth in the $12,000 Kick-Off LC Series #3 final next Saturday (April 23).

Driver Bruce Ranger enjoyed a driving double, with twelve different trainers winning a race on the afternoon program.  After four full programs, the top three dash-winning drivers are: (1) Dan Deslandes, 9; (2) Kevin Switzer Jr., 6; (3) Bruce Ranger, 5.

Horses that have started from Cumberland’s post position four have won 16 of 48 total races, or one-third of all the events.  Post three is a close second with 14 victories.

There will be a double draw on Tuesday (April 19) for Friday and Saturday, April 22 and 23, which includes the rich finals for all three Kick-Off Series Late Closing events.  Check the US Trotting online entry system for the condition sheet and applicable racing information.

Additional track information can be found on our website: https://firsttrackscumberland.com and on our Facebook page: First Tracks Cumberland.

For full race results, click here.

by Chris Tully, for First Tracks Cumberland