Cumberland to offer richest program ever Saturday

CUMBERLAND, ME – Saturday’s (August 5) $25,000 Pine Tree Invitational headlines the richest overnight harness racing program in the history of First Tracks Cumberland.  Coupled with nine additional $10,000 Pop-Ups, the total non-stakes race purses equal $115,000, the most ever for an overnight card.  Add in four Maine Sire Stakes events and the total purses for the day exceed $175,000.

The Pine Tree Invitational compliments the recent Fred Nichols Memorial at Bangor, with both pari-mutuel tracks brining top invites to Maine several times each season.  The early morning line favorite for the event is Plainridge invader Skyway Victory listed at 5-2.  Driven for the first time locally by Kevin Switzer Jr. and trained by Mark Eaton, the 5-year-old Indiana-bred son of Tellitlikeitis is making his first start back since capturing the $50,000 John Hogan Junior Invite in the Bay State on July 23.  His seasonal total is $90,471, and growing.

The second choice is local star The Bird Dance N (3-1, Nick Graffam).  With seven wins in 14 starts this season, the restless 8-year-old son of A Rocknroll Dance hasn’t had a purse start since winning the Nichols on July 2.  He’s earned $46,000 this year.

The $10,000 Charlies Malia Distinguished Service Invitational Trot brings some of the best of the diagonally gaited set to Cumberland, while paying homage to the recently retired presiding judge who helped get the First Tracks meet started back in 2021.  Mike Stevenson will drive the 2-1 fan favorite Nows The Moment for trainer Allison MacDonald.

Closing day of the Spring-Summer meet on Saturday (Aug. 5) also carries seven additional $10,000 ‘overnight’ races (pop-up series events) as well as the $10,000 Maine Amateur Driving Club (MADC) Spring-Summer Final, sponsored by Blue Seal Feeds.

Fans that purchase a race program will receive a Hambo hat, compliments of First Tracks Cumberland.  In addition, our popular Cumberland Derby returns and gives patrons who enter the contest a chance to win a total of $500 in cash.

The final Summer weekend of racing resumes Friday (Aug. 4, 3:15 pm) with several $8,000 Pop Up series consolations.  Saturday (Aug. 5) is closing day with a special early post time of 2:15 pm, with thirteen races on each program.

MAINE SIRE STAKES ON SATURDAY

Pine Tree State-bred and sired trotters will make their final appearance at Cumberland on Saturday (August 5) before the series starts its summer-long tour of Maine’s pari-mutuel fair circuit.

All four divisions of trotting races worth nearly $60,000 will be held, with three of the heats on the betting program.

The first race on the card is the $14,367 two-year-old filly trot, where heretofore undefeated My Saving Grace will look to make it four-in-a-row on the season.  Trained by Gretchen Athearn and driven by hubby Mark, the young daughter of Shake It Off Lindy is off to a dynamite start, earning $23,487 thus far this season.  Sure to be giving chase is Pembroke Breeze (Heath Campbell-Valerie Grondin) who has been at her heels in their last two outings.

Sophomore filly trotters emerge in the $14,727 third race and are led by Ivan Davies’ Wild Ending.  Fresh off a decisive victory in her last start, the daughter of Boy Band is looking for her third stakes win of the year.  Marc Tardif’s Another Adventure is trying to get off the schneid and would love to play the role of upsetter with Kevin Switzer Jr. aboard.

The colts hit the track in race five, going for $15,166, which will be a test of wills between Wabanaki (7-5, Davies) and Outlawofthevalley (5-2, Switzer Jr.-Tardif).  The pair have traded blows and victories the last two outings and this match-up could come down to racing tactics and sheer grit in the seven-horse dash.

Previous to the regular card at 1:45 p.m., three freshmen colts do battle for a purse of $14,146.  Valerie Grondin trains and drives Chipper Dale, who has won his last two affairs at Bangor.

Next week the Maine Sire Stakes program transitions to the fair circuit with sire stakes racing at Topsham beginning August 7.  The third week in August brings the monsters of the midway up to Skowhegan for another full week of Maine harness racing.

by Chris Tully, for First Tracks Cumberland