On Saturday, September 7, Bangor Raceway at Historic Bass Park hosted a thrilling slate of $25,000-plus divisions of the Maine Sire Stakes for two- and three-year-old trotters, highlighted by Whatawonder's impressive eighth consecutive victory. The talented two-year-old trotter, trained by Lisa Watson, secured another wire-to-wire triumph in the $26,389 male trot.
Starting from the pylon position, driver Ken Watson guided Whatawonder to an early lead, setting leisurely fractions of 32.2 seconds and 1:04.3 for the opening half. As the competition intensified, including second-place contender Libertys Wildcard (with Kevin Switzer Jr.) and stablemate Katahdin Victor (driven by Wally Watson), Whatawonder surged forward into a 1:34.2 third quarter, completing this segment in 29.4 seconds.
As they approached the stretch, Whatawonder kicked into high gear and displayed his speed down the final stretch, crossing the finish line in 2:03.3 and earning a new lifetime mark, narrowly defeating Libertys Wildcard by three-quarters of a length. Katahdin Victor finished in third, rounding out the competitive non-wagering event.
In the $26,409 early three-year-old filly trot, My Saving Grace continued her winning streak, cruising to a nine-length victory in 2:04.2, also setting a personal best. Driven by Mark Athearn for trainer Gretchen Athearn, this daughter of Shake It Off Lindy is owned by Margaret Thyng and was bred in Maine by Leighton Property. Twisted Venture (Mike Cushing) secured second place, with Bernies Legacy (Dave Ingraham) finishing third.
Chipper Dale returned to triumph in his $25,908 division for sophomore trotting geldings, cutting two seconds from his previous best. Under the guidance of Drew Campbell for trainer Valerie Grondin, the Shake It Off Lindy progeny conquered the field with a 2:00.1 performance, winning by 9.5 lengths. Owned and bred by Lynn-Marie Plouffe, Chipper Dale celebrated his sixth victory of the season and set a new lifetime record. Pembroke Will (Heath Campbell) was second, and Carrabassett (Mark Athearn) finished third.
On the only pari-mutuel card event, eight two-year-old trotting fillies competed for $27,049 in purse money. Barbella (Bruce Ranger), the third choice, took command swiftly, clocking a fast opening panel of 30.1 seconds, with 6-1 longshot Little Shot (Ivan Davies) holding the second position. The pair maintained their lead past a rapid 1:00.2 half and a 1:31.1 third panel. In the homestretch, Little Shot surged past Barbella, claiming victory by a length in 2:03.
Little Shot is now a maiden no more, co-owned and driven by Ivan Davies, who also played the role of trainer. Bred by Dr. Douglass Hutchins and Paul Kinnear, this daughter of Noble Venture made a memorable seventh career start and paid $15.40 to win. The favoured Blizzards Fury (Switzer) ended up in third place.
The Maine Sire Stakes series will resume on Sunday, September 8, featuring two-year-old filly pacers, and will return to Bangor on Wednesday for the two-year-old male pacers. The series will transition to the Farmington Fair for a week of harness racing from Monday to Friday, showcasing the remaining divisions of two- and three-year-old Maine-bred events. Additionally, four divisions of the $240,000-plus freshman finals are scheduled for Cumberland on Saturday, September 28.