Driver Dan Deslandes dominated five out of the eight qualifying races held at First Tracks Cumberland in Maine on Tuesday, April 9. Impressively, four of these victories were achieved from his father's stable, Jeff Deslandes.
The afternoon was filled with excitement as sunny skies and warm temperatures in the 50s added to the lively atmosphere. Deslandes also claimed victory in the fastest event of the day, clocking in at an impressive 1:57.1 with the local favourite, The Bird Dance N, who is under the guidance of trainer Karl Butterfield.
Out of the 10 Deslandes followers that competed, the four champions were Elegant Dulupin FR (2:02.3) in the trotting category, Next Big Thing (2:00.2), Grand Galop Semalu(1:59.3), and Miss U Big Mike (1:59.2) in the pacing category. The Deslandes family also had four horses come in second place, resulting in a summary of 10-4-4-0 overall.
Luke McGook, the reigning champion of the Maine Sire Stakes, recently made his highly anticipated debut as a four-year-old. In an exciting turn of events, he secured a commendable second-place finish in race five. Notably, this race also featured the beloved grey gelding Putnams Storm and the esteemed Bob Nadeau.
The box office will close early at 1 p.m. (EDT) on Wednesday, April 10, in preparation for the highly anticipated double draw on the opening weekend, which will take place on Saturday and Sunday, April 13 and 14. Exclusive courses with increased prize money have been established to recognize horses that took part in the Winter Late Closing Series at Cumberland.