Wuzzie wins trotting final in Breeders Stakes

BANGOR – Wuzzie, driven by John Nason, pulled away from Race Me Speedy, driven by Leigh Fitch, to win the trotting final of the Maine Stdriven by Leigh Fitch, to win the trotting final of the Maine Standardbred Breeders Stakes by nine lengths at Bangor Raceway on Saturday.

Owner Linwood Perkins of Cornish pocketed the winning share of the $17,823 purse.

In the filly division, for a $18,268 purse, Rebekah Anne and Hermon native Shawn Thayer left no doubt that he was headed for a win as he flew from his seventh spot, circled the field and grabbed the lead to the first quarter marker in 30.3 and never looked back.

It was “so long Sara” for the remainder of the stakes mile as Rebekah Anne crossed the finish line in 2:03.4. Sara’s Jamie with Gary Mosher finished second and Miss Julie B with Leigh Fitch finished third.

Owner Basil Kellis of Wells took home the $9,134 winner’s share of the filly stakes purse.

In the 2-year-old colt division final, veteran reinsman Don Richards and Willy Wilco left from third and brought his Wilcos Data colt to the lead at the quarter-mile marker in a swift :29.4. The rest was just distance as Wilco was never challenged as he sat quarters of 1:00.3 to the half; 1:31.3 to the three-quarters and winning the mile in 2:02.4.

Shadawizki, the also eligible, finished second, three lengths off the pace. The stakes final win pushed Wilco’s lifetime earnings for owners Don Richards, Tom and Scott Dillon and Walter Hight to $18,271.50.

The 3-year-old MSBS finals are scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 15, at Scarborough Downs.

The racing competition was intense as $54,220 in purse money went “up for grabs” in the three divisional finals of 2-year-old Maine Standardbred Breeders Stakes at Bangor Raceway on Saturday.

In the 2-year-old trotting final, the secret to the win was not speed, but trotting a clean mile – without a break. But inexperienced youngsters are prone to mis-step on the diagonal gait. Leading point contender, Mic Mac Terror and Gordon Corey, led the “break stride” parade. They were the first to jump off stride at the start of the trot race and were never a factor in the remainder of the race. Also jumping in the mile were Shanghai Girl, Be My Enemy, U S Harness and Lennys Joy.

The battle in the trot for the winning share of the $17,823 purse developed at the half-mile marker in 1:02, when Race Me Speedy and Leigh Fitch, who had crossed from seventh into second spot, dueled for the front end with Wuzzie and John Nason. But Nason hung tough reaching the three-quarter mile marker on the top in 1:34.1, and won the final panel of the trotting dash to the wire by nine lengths in 2:06.4 for owner Linwood Perkins of Cornish.

In the filly division, for a $18,268 purse, there was no erratic movement as all the distaffers displayed much more maturity on the pace.

Rebekah Anne and Hermon native Shawn Thayer left no doubt that he was headed for a win as he flew from his seventh spot, circled the field and grabbed the lead to the first quarter marker in :30.3 with Sara’s Jamie in second.

It was “so long Sara” for the remainder of the stakes mile as Rebekah Anne registered leading quarter-time panels of 1:02 to the half mile; 1:32 to the three-quarter mile marker and first across the finish line in 2:03.4. Sara’s Jamie and Gary Mosher finished second and Miss Julie B and Leigh Fitch finished third. But it was owner Basil Kellis of Wells who took home the $9,134 winner’s share of the filly stakes purse.

It was the 2-year-old colt division that followed the summer point schedule the most consistently. In a horse race, anything can happen, and for a $18,129 purse, everyone’s hopes that it happens to someone else. On Saturday, it happened to Gary Mosher, one of Maine’s premiere horsemen. Owner, trainer, driver of Northeast Carey, the leading 2-year-old colt in the MSBS, he “jumped” at the three-quarter pole and finished seventh.

In the colt final, R Fast Heart Beat was scratched, and also eligible Shadawizki, another Linwood Perkins owned entry, moved into his place. Veteran reinsman Don Richards and Willy Wilco left from third, and brought his Wilcos Data colt to the lead at the quarter-mile marker in a swift :29.4. The rest was just distance as Wilco was never challenged as he sat quarters of 1:00.3 to the half; 1:31.3 to the three-quarters and winning the mile in 2:02.4, a second better than his lifetime best of 2:01.4, set last week at Windsor Fair.

Shadawizki, the also elibible, finished second, three lengths off the pace. The stakes final win pushed Wilco’s lifetime earnings for owners Don Richards, Tom and Scott Dillon and Walter Hight to $18,271.50. Not too bad for a 2-year-old colt in Maine.

The MSBS has developed over the past two decades and the future looks pretty healthy for the Maine-bred horse program. The 3-year-old MSBS finals are scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 15, at Scarborough Downs.