Three 14-year-old pacers win at Farmington Fair

Bangor, Maine …. The first IPad hit the market in the year 2010, Avatar was the number one box office hit, Adele earned song of the year honors with Rolling In The Deep, Downton Abbey premiered on PBS, and Prince William and Kate Middleton announced their royal engagement.

A whole new crop of standardbred horses were also born that year and included in their number were a trio of harness racing campaigners, Lucan Hanover (Western Ideal), Southwind Terror (Camluck), and Urbana Bayama (Jereme’s Jet), whose destiny pointed them toward a day, fourteen years later, where they would all win races on the very same card at Maine’s  Farmington Fair.

Lucan Hanover began his career as a star pupil of noted trainer, Cassie Coleman. He won the $250,000 New Jersey Classic, and elimination legs of the Little Brown Jug, the Breeders Crown, and the Messenger Stakes. He became a regular (and successful) competitor in stakes, invitationals, and upper-class events all across North America before moving his tack trunk to Maine in 2021 where he continued his successful career as an upper class threat under the careful stewardship of trainer Aaron Hall.

On Monday, Lucan Hanover (1:57-$3.40) revisited his days of swagger, swooping his grouping up the backstretch before effortlessly pulling away to an emboldened 4-3:4 length margin  at the wire.

Owned and driven by Aaron Hall, the son of Western Ideal recorded his 71st career score while enhancing his lifetime bankroll to $1,409,296.

Southwind Terror found little success along the Ontario circuit as a two-and-three-year-old before becoming a regular at a multitude of east coast venues. He reigned as an Open-class force at Saratoga, a sometimes pricey claimer at Yonkers, and for the vast majority of his career remained an upper-class threat wherever he ventured. He won in his very first appearance at Scarborough Downs upon moving to Maine in 2019 and has gone on to win 29 races at tracks across New England.

In harness to driver McGwire Sowers, the son of Camluck fired a gate-to-wire salvo on Monday while doggedly holding off a three horse challenge at the wire to preserver by a neck.

Trained by Benson Merrill for owner William Tracey, the win was the 62nd of Southwind Terror’s (1;59.3-$9.80) career and upped his lifetime bankroll to $413,645.

Urbana Bayama began his career auspiciously enough, winning a $24,240 leg of the Ontario Sire Stakes at Mohawk while spending his formative years out along the Ontario Jockey Club circuit. He quickly became a standout performer under the bright lights of New York as an upper-class threat at Yornkers and Monticello Raceways. He briefly joined the state-of-Maine scene in 2019 before retreating back to New York but rejoined the Pine Tree circuit to open the 2024 season.

Under the guidance of driver David Ingraham, the son of Jereme’s Jet broke third after escaping the clutches of the second tier. He absolutely swelled up when daylight appeared in mid- stretch, extending out to a 3-1/2 length margin at the wire while remaining uncalled upon by Ingraham.

Trained by Christopher Dubois for owner Robert Kluchevitch, Urbana Bayama (2:00.3-$5.40) recorded the 49th win of his career while extending his accrued bankroll to $372,415.

Although in the midst of their final season at the races, these cagey veterans still have plenty of time to pad their resumes as the state-of-Maine harness circuit progresses from late summer into early winter this season.

The Pine Tree racing scene has certainly been enhanced by the presence of so many of the sport’s legacy racers who still ply their trade in Maine.

Maine’s Farmington Fair meet runs daily through  Saturday (September 21) with post time each day at 2:00 P.M. It’s signal is available for offtrack and online wagering at most major platforms and brick and mortar facilities around the nation.

For complete race results, click here: US Trotting results.

by Mike Sweeney, for Bangor Raceway