2YO Mrs Roxy Foxy takes Maine Sire Stakes

BANGOR, ME – Harness racing trainer Mike Graffam’s Mrs Foxy Roxy (Deuce Seelster) strutted her stuff down the Bangor Raceway runway on Wednesday (July 5) to capture the season’s first 2-year-old Maine Sire Stakes, the $15,123 freshman filly pace.

Driven by Nick Graffam, Mrs Foxy Roxy never had an anxious moment as the freshman distaff took immediate command from post three and led the field into a brisk 30.4 opening panel.

My Sweet Revenge (Walter Case Jr.-Marc Tardif) sat in the two-hole, with Who’s Perfect (Dave Ingraham-Valerie Grondin) the first to move to the outside into a 1:03.4 half-mile time.

Following Graffam’s perfectly rated middle half with Mrs Foxy Roxy, Heath Campbell moved Pembroke Red second over through a 1:35 third panel.  As the tempo increased the field stacked up in the leader’s wake as Graffam gained considerable separation around the final turn.

Mrs Foxy Roxy cruised to victory unabated in 2:04.3, a new lifetime best.  The four fillies in chase mode were stretched out in unison across the wire and racing for second.

MRS FOXY ROXY REPLAY

Owned by William McElvain Jr, Diane Dunn and Bradford Veilleux, it was the black filly’s second score of the year, but first pari-mutuel victory.  She paid $5.40 to win by 3-1/2 lengths.  7-5 favorite My Sweet Revenge was second, Ghost Of You (Kevin Switzer Jr.-Marc Tardif) was third.

The male freshman sidesteppers invade Bangor on Friday (July 7) for a $14,598 Maine-sired 2-year-old colt and gelding pace.

The fireworks came one day late at Bangor Raceway this year when the noted father/son team of trainer Jeff Deslandes and driver Dan Deslandes lit up the track with a sizzling display on Wednesday (7-5), just one day removed from the Independence Day holiday.

The Deslandes Clan roster was as hot as the 90-degree forecast on Wednesday as three winners from the meet’s leading stable blazed around the Queen City oval led by Swellendam (Bettor’s Delight) in 1:55.3, paying $11.40 to win as they spun together identical :57.4 front-and-back-halves to persevere by a neck at the wire. The win was the fourth of the season and represented a seasonal mark for the ten-year-old veteran who is owned in partnership by Steven Blood and Dan Deslandes.

Despite evidence of impending prosperity, the fans still failed to climb aboard the bandwagon, even as the Deslandes juggernaut paid telephone numbers with Pink Delight (1:57-$31.40) in their next conquest appearance. Dismissed at 15-1 odds, the four-year-old daughter of Huntsville powered her way to her third seasonal score while keying robust mutuels headlined by a one dollar superfecta return which cashed out at a hefty $7,590.70.

The punters got wise in the end though, collecting dimes for dollars, as Grand Galop Semalu (1:57.1-$2.40) sent them all home as winners in the finale, as the eleven-year-old class-master sped gate-to-wire while claiming the 62nd victory of his substantial career.

The three driving wins maintained Dan Deslandes’ third place standing on the Bangor leaderboard, four wins behind top-dog Bruce Ranger and one win behind Kevin Switzer, Jr who currently resides in deputy-dog status.

The three training wins for the Jeff Deslandes stable added to its imposing, meet leading tally, as the roster now boasts 25 seasonal scores, more than doubling trainer Neil Grass’ second place skein of 12.

In other Bangor news, Heath Campbell and Bruce Ranger secured two driving wins apiece on the Wednesday program while trainers Valerie Grondin, Kimberly Vafiades, and Clayton Merrill, Jr each doubled their pleasure on the conditioners side of the balance sheet.

For complete race results, click here.

by Chris Tully, for the Maine Sire Stakes, and Mike Sweeney, for Bangor Raceway