Retiring pacer Ira Chief made his final official start as a 14-year-old a winning one, conquering his peers in the $6,000 Auld Lang Syne race at Cumberland on Saturday (Dec. 23), which was part of the track’s third annual Au Revoir Retirement Showcase.
First Tracks Cumberland has a host of lucrative series finals as well as the third annual Au Revoir Retirement Showcase slated for closing weekend, which runs from Friday (Dec. 22) through Christmas Eve Sunday (Dec. 24).
Race secretary Rob Pennington hit a home run with his holiday-themed winter late closing series, resulting in the presentation of over a dozen legs of four individual series being contested over the upcoming three-day (Dec. 8 – 10) weekend at First Tracks Cumberland.
The Tardif Taskforce swept the glamour boy divisions at Cumberland Saturday (July 1), winning both $15,209 divisions of the Maine Sire Stakes for three-year-old colt and gelding pacers.
Cinnamon Stick circled three-wide into the final turn and vaulted to victory in the $6,100 Open Trot on Wednesday afternoon (Jan. 27) at Monticello Raceway.
The six-year-old Jailhouse Jesse gelding rode the cover of Shoot The Thrill up the backstretch before driver Greg Merton pointed him three-wide into the final turn. From there, Cinnamon Stick slingshotted to a mid-stretch lead, edging clear of pocket rival Exarch (Ronnie Morales III) by 1-1/4 lengths in 1:59.4 for his first seasonal win. Pacesetter Sweet Royalty (Jimmy Devaux) finished third.
Greg Decker trains Cinnamon Stick, who paid $4.10 as the even money favourite, for Michael Mulligan.
The feature win capped a grand slam for Merton, who also drove Proudamericangirl (2:01.1, $5.10), Cee Pee Panic (1:58, $6.80) and OK Icon (1:59.2, $10.80) to victory.