WINDSOR, ME – Marc Tardif’s Massive Speed (sired by Dude’s The Man) continues to dominate the 2-year-old male harness racing pacing circuit in the Maine Sire Stakes, maintaining an unblemished record in all his races. His winning streak persisted on Tuesday (August 27) at the Windsor Fair, where he secured his sixth straight victory while earning a personal best time and competing for a $19,662 boosted purse.
Driver Walter Case Jr. launched Massive Speed into an early lead from his challenging sixth post position, clocking a brisk opening quarter in 29 seconds. Meanwhile, With This Dude’s Perfect (driven by Heath Campbell) followed closely in second, as the rest of the competitors formed a single-file line down the backstretch.
As Case offered his colt a brief respite leading into a half-mile time of 1:00.3, Massive Speed managed to pull away from the pack. Simultaneously, stablemate Dawn Two Dark (Andy Harrington) surged from fourth to second by the 1:30.1 third quarter, prompting the leader to push on.
As they rounded the final turn, with the challenger nearing his wheel, Massive Speed responded to Case’s encouragement. Track announcer Mike Cushing declared, "It’s another coast-to-coast win for Massive Speed."
Trained by Marc Tardif and owned by Leighton Property, Massive Speed achieved a new lifetime record of 1:59.1, finishing with a comfortable margin of 2-1/4 lengths.
Marc and Peggy Tardif remarked, "We’ve always had faith in this colt; he has shown promise from day one. He’s never made a mistake."
They added, "Our team describes him as an old soul in a 2-year-old's body—very professional."
Bred by Laurie Harding, Massive Speed paid $2.40 to win as the overwhelming favourite. Dawn Two Dark finished in second place, while Race Me Celtic (Bill Childs) took third.
Earlier in the day, before the wagering card, another $19,661 division for freshman pacing colts and geldings took place as a non-wagering event. Despite the Tardif task force sending four entrants, it was trainer Valerie Grondin who claimed victory.
Heath Campbell drove the stable's Keenan Star (by Western Maverick) to his first win, crossing the finish line in 2:00.3. This wire-to-wire triumph from post five marked only the second purse start for the 2-year-old. Grondin, who bred and still owns Keenan Star, is celebrating the success of the fourth foal from Paxxie p,2,1:57f ($76,717). Keenan Star is sired by Six Of Diamonds, a sub-1:50 son of Artsplace, out of a mare by Matt’s Scooter.
Previously campaigned by Grondin and Campbell, Paxxie has already produced three offspring that average over $100,000 in earnings, including Paxxton p,1:56.4h, Bandolito Blaze p,2,1:57.3h, and Mattucci p,4,1:56h—all full brothers to Keenan Star.
Fred Ward’s Gracies Tough Guy (Dave Ingraham), a full brother to the 3-year-old pacing filly star Gowestyounggrace, finished second, while Ella V Dude (Kevin Switzer Jr.) placed third.
The Maine Sire Stakes will continue at the Windsor Fair with the 2-year-old filly pacers on Friday (Aug. 30), followed by all four divisions of trotters on Saturday (Aug. 31), 3-year-old male pacers on Sunday (Sept. 1), and will wrap up with the sophomore filly pacers on Labour Day Monday (Sept. 2).