HORSEPLOP.COM
General Category => Harness Racing => Topic started by: GOAT on March 14, 2026, 07:55:38 PM
-
I see where they are starting qualifiers at Cumberland Maine tomorrow. Where is Winston Drew Cambpell?
-
Drew is driving at The Track on 2 in Alberta this weekend.
-
Yep, Cumberland is opening next Saturday. I'll be part of the opening day crowd. Except if it's snowing. LOL! Last opening day, they had about 100 people on the grandstand side. Mostly family of the horse folk. Rumor is that the bathrooms are fixed and better food will be available. Time will tell.
-
Heard there will be a variety of food trucks based on demand. Seafood to Pizza.
-
will there be any Saratoga shippers or will all the starters be coming off a 3 or more month layoff?
-
Heard there will be a variety of food trucks based on demand. Seafood to Pizza.
That would be great! I enjoy the meet there. It's only about 40 minutes to get there. Beautiful drive the back way down those old country roads.
-
will there be any Saratoga shippers or will all the starters be coming off a 3 or more month layoff?
If it's anything like last year, they'll be a few shippers, but mostly horses who have had a long layoff from racing. I expect the usual trainer/driver colony from years past. Most will alternate between Maine and Plainridge once they open in mid-april. They go pretty quick at Plainridge and Cumby horses have a tough time there. When they do win there, it's usually a double-digit payout.
-
If it's anything like last year, they'll be a few shippers, but mostly horses who have had a long layoff from racing. I expect the usual trainer/driver colony from years past. Most will alternate between Maine and Plainridge once they open in mid-april. They go pretty quick at Plainridge and Cumby horses have a tough time there. When they do win there, it's usually a double-digit payout.
thanks Dougie tmbz1
I prefer not to play races where they have 90 days or more without racing, so the first two weekends I will probably just watch and make notes
-
Anybody new coming into race? How come no Walter down to qualify? Is he still side lined due to health?
-
Anybody new coming into race? How come no Walter down to qualify? Is he still side lined due to health?
From the qualifiers, it would seem the "regular" driving colony will be back this season. I haven't heard anything concerning Walter of late, but should know more on opening day. I'm thinking Kevin Switzer, Jr. will battle with Aaron Hall & Nick Graffam fro the driving title. Bruce Ranger will of course be in the battle for the top spot, but he makes more money driving regularly at Plainridge.
-
Need Butterfield and Dandy Dan Deslandes back!
-
Scott Ehrlich will be back to call the races again this meet. Loves to hear himself talk and tries to fill every second so there is no dead air time. But, on the other hand, he is still a colorful and accurate race caller and you will know exactly where your horse is throughout the mile. "Rambling Willie has his mo jo workin'!" "But it's Festivus, for the rest of us!" ;D
-
Sowers and DuBois both back in Maine and horses should be sharp. Switzer will again be leading driver with no Bruce, Drew or Casey. Rumor is the snack bar will have Lewiston lobster rolls again this year. In the famous words of Roger Houston...Be There...lol
-
Tough track to play. People stuff claimers with minimal claiming. Huge amount 0f 1/5 or less.
-
Sowers and DuBois both back in Maine and horses should be sharp. Switzer will again be leading driver with no Bruce, Drew or Casey. Rumor is the snack bar will have Lewiston lobster rolls again this year. In the famous words of Roger Houston...Be There...lol
We try to get there at least once a week. The lobster rolls are a big "move up" from those horrible hot dogs. LOL!
-
Tough track to play. People stuff claimers with minimal claiming. Huge amount 0f 1/5 or less.
I agree. A lot of short prices. Every once in a while a "bomb" crosses the wire first. Usually has $40 bucks or so in the pools on the winner. LOL!
-
Cumberland makes Scarborough Downs look like a state of the art facility….
-
agreed. downs was a palace in compairson. too bad, i thought cumberland would be improved some. the track is better but the rest is just awful. races are pretty much un betable. scott rambles so long he talks like every race the whole field has got a shot. ks2 will dominate as long as he takes care of his self.
prop bet which happens first. grandstand collapses or new track gets built. grandstand collapses is barred from wagering.
-
By State law, First Tracks gets a very big number from the state each day to conduct racing. Not sure of the exact amount, so someone who knows, please share. You would think some of that money should be used to make the track more customer-friendly.
-
I believe you can goggle it to see how much each track / fair receives from the state ? I'm sure Chris, Ben, Gunnar and others get a good piece of what they receive ?
-
racetime you are so correct and thats the problem. all 3 make a good living runing a 50-60 day meet. plus they fly across the county to do it. scott gets flown in and has a place to stay. how much could be used to make cumberland better? i know of an announcer who could cut that expense to almost nothing.
the only positive of this management crew is they did get the signal out everywhere but at a bargin price it only makes the handle look better.
-
What handle?
-
I believe the track get over a million to race and it probably cost 10,000 a day to race ? 50 race days × 10,000 = 500,000 so there's 500,000 left over.
-
pretty close. i heard its about 12000 a day on average so a lot left over for the management team. so sad to see. i thought in 2020 that cumberland could have been fixed up a little and been a decent track. dont really see what any plan is other than management making money. 100k off track handle equals about 2k in revenue. not any future for racing on that.
-
Heard there will be a variety of food trucks based on demand. Seafood to Pizza.
Sorry no food trucks.
-
The weather must have scared them away. I saw only 5 cars lined up against the fence watching when that area is usually full, and only 2 people standing outside watching. That number of people would not make it profitable to go.
-
Bangor will be opening soon, much better facility
-
Bangor is much more fan and horsemen friendly and a much nicer track. No portajohns and a much nicer betting area than Cumberland.
-
Bangor is much more fan and horsemen friendly and a much nicer track. No portajohns and a much nicer betting area than Cumberland.
I agree. Bangor is a much nicer track. I'm about 40 miles from Cumby and about 175 from Bangor. I've been to them both. I like Bangor better.
-
Whats up with no Zack Gray entries? Thought i heard he was moving back. He raced last weekend..
-
Ne1 see drews interview he sounds like a broken frog he gets kicked out of country yet all horsemen kiss his ass n support him it no surprise that no matter wut happens horsemen support scum 11.tfk 11.hdd
-
Rumor is Zack doesn't have gas money to get to Cumberland ?
-
Rumor is Zack doesn't have gas money to get to Cumberland ?
Where's he stabled?
-
Rumor was he was chased out of Saratoga cause he owed every one money and he was back in Maine ?
-
Walter Case is back kids! (https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQNPBNDtOdyDkneiFQ7OFm85PqgIpQo0XXuEg&s)
-
Is he stabled at the track? Most of his horses are with a Mass owner who does all deals. Very tough for a trainer to take cheap horses on deals and make any money racing at Cumberland or any track where they race for the lowest purses on the condition sheet
-
Best way to go broke in Harness Racing is doing 50/50 deals where the trainers pay all the bills and the Owner pays nothing, great deal ...lol
-
If the trainer is going broke, why not give the horses back? I don;t think they sign a legally binding document that the trainer has the horse forever. It's not like these are horses that can go ahead and possibly win the Jug and become sires. The dream of hoping to hit a home run. These are horses that are bought cheaply, win in a cheap condition, and then they are outclassed.
-
Can anyone confirm what the selection was on the food trucks? Also, how was the pricing?
-
RACE 4 - Cumberland Raceway - ME - March 29, 2026
Conditions: NW $2,500 (ME Bred $3,125) in Last 4 Starts (NW L3 allowed $500)
Gait: Pace Purse: 4,800 Class: NW2500L4 Distance: 1 Mile Track Cond: FT
HN Horse PP 1/4 1/2 3/4 Str Finish Actual LQ Odds Driver Trainer
7 Gabe Hanover 7 7/7H 7/7 6°°/5 4/1T 1/1Q 1:59.0 29.0 10.80 Walter Case Jr James Dunn
1 Lou Ed Zeppelin 1 1/1Q 1/1H 1/Q 1/1H 2/1Q 1:59.1 30.1 *1.40 Mcgwire Sowers Christopher Dubois
2 Longview Lad N 2 2/1Q 2/1H 3/1Q 3/1H 3/1H 1:59.1 30.0 3.00 Aaron Hall Randy Bickmore
5 Pbr Street Gang 5 5/5 4°/3T 4°/4Q 5/3Q 4/2T 1:59.3 29.4 16.50 Andrew Harrington Sara Harrington
3 Soho Leviathan A 3 3/2H 3°/2H 2°/Q 2/1H 5/3H 1:59.3 30.3 1.90 Kevin Switzer Jr Robert Marston
6 Real Thing 6 6/6Q 6/5T 7°/6Q 6/5 6/8H 2:00.3 30.2 47.50 Steven Wilson Michael Cushing
4 Rose Run Slider 4 4/3T 5/4Q 5/5 7/7 7/8T 2:00.4 30.4 24.00 Nicholas Graffam Mark Harris
8 Blueberry Heaven 8 8/8T 8/8Q 8/12Q 8/11 8/15H 2:02.0 30.3 44.50 Wallace Watson Sara Harrington
Time: 29.0 1:00.3 (31.3) 1:29.0 (28.2) 1:59.0 (30.0) Race Pool: $12,202.99