May 31, 2025, by Chris Tully, for First Tracks Cumberland
(Joe Shaw photos)
CUMBERLAND, ME – The sharp mare Vel Miss Taylor had things her own way on Friday (May 30) at Cumberland Raceway, holding off a handful of challengers and securing her fifth straight score.
Leaving from post four the 4-year-old daughter of Ponder was stung to the first quarter in :28 by Cash Crazy Express (14-1, Shawn Thayer). From there driver McGwire Sowers was able to control the tempo more to his mare’s liking. While enjoying a :59 half-mile mark breather, the outer flow started to materialize with Maggie At Bat (6-5, Aaron Hall) first over and pushing the pacesetter to a swifter 1:27.4 third panel.
Around the final turn Gowestyounggrace (4-1, Dave Ingraham) shot three wide from sixth to march toward the wire with the pack. A tight group of four horses engulfed the leader in the lane. They tried valiantly to snap Vel Miss Taylor’s streak, however, the mare dug in gamely and outlasted her foes to grab victory from the jaws of defeat. She prevailed by a neck in 1:57.3, a new seasonal best.

Trained by Autym Robinson she is owned and was co-bred by Mo Coo Inc. This was the mare’s tenth seasonal victory and fifth in a row, increasing her career bankroll to $108,974 with 27 wins. She paid $4.60 as the 6-5 co-favorite in the $5,000 conditioned fillies and mares pace.
The other co-favorite, Maggie At Bat finished in a dead heat for place with Gowestyounggrace.
Former Maine champion Two Fold Cold grabbed Friday’s featured $5,500 eighth race pace in a seasonal best 1:56, scoring from off the pace for driver Dave Ingraham. The 4-year-old son of Deuce Seelster is trained by Kelly Case for owner Marc Tardif and picked up his second win of the year while increasing his lifetime earnings to $191,376. He paid $5.20 to win.
Beyond The Past (8-1, Steve Wilson) finished second; Forrest Blu (20-1, Aaron Hall) was third.
‘Double Digit’ Dave Ingraham enjoyed four wins on the program, including a score with 16-1 longshot Dynamical Tad in the tenth, paying $35.00 to win. Trainer Kelly Case, Dave’s wife, helped to add to that total with Marc Tardif’s Deal With It Roman in 1:57.4, paying $9.40.

Racing continues on Saturday (May 31) with 11 races, ten of which are divisions of our Spring Pacing Series Late Closers. There are three divisions of both the $6,500 ‘Baxter,’ and the $6,000 ‘Rockland’ which boast $12,500 finals next week on Saturday (June 7). In addition, there are four $4,000 divisions of the ‘Moosehead’ which has a thousand dollar purse bump every week for the next three weeks, culminating with a $12,500 final on June 28.
Hunter Lofthus is back to defend his leader board status in this week’s $4,000 Maine Amateur Driving Club (MADC) event slated as race two. Lofthus drives Art Of Endurance from pylon position for trainer Benson Merrill and has been pegged as the 2-1 choice.
With a new twist this week, horse trainer and family patriarch Philip ‘Bo’ Sowers tries his hand at driving in the amateur ranks with his wife Tammy’s 15 year-old old Machtu N. Fans may recall that their son McGwire won the $6,000 Au Revoir with the elder son of Mach Three on the final days of the 2024 Cumberland meet. The veteran campaigner amassed $534,637 in career earnings with 65 victories.
The MADC is sponsored by the Blue Seal Feed stores of North Falmouth and Windham, Maine.
The action kicks off at 3:15 pm on Saturday, with a Trifecta in all 11 races, and the program also features a plethora of exotic wagers. Cumberland’s Pick 5 begins with the third race, and continues with our Pick 4 and Pick 3 toward the tail end of the program, and conclude with our High-Five Pentafecta ($544.51 carryover) in the final race—all with low 16% takeouts.
Live video and replays can be found on our website: firsttrackscumberland.com on the Live Racing / Video Replays tab.
First Track’s Cumberland Spring/Summer meet will continue throughout the Spring and early Summer months with regular racing on Friday and Saturday each weekend. First post is slated for 3:15 pm (EDT) during the extended pari-mutuel meeting, which runs through August 2.