May 18, 2025, by Chris Tully, for First Tracks Cumberland
(Joe Shaw photos)
CUMBERLAND, ME – Beyond The Past was much the best in the $5,500 featured pace at Cumberland Raceway on Saturday (May 17), showing his heels to the field in an effortless score.
Driven by perennial leading reinsman Bruce Ranger, the 6-year-old son of JK Endofanera had pylon position from the start and never once saw the back of helmet during the rest of the winning performance. Setting opening fractions of :28.3 and :58.2, the victor had Dinner Party (7-1, Drew Campbell) at his back through both circuits.
After reaching the third panel in 1:27 Ranger let out a notch and started to gain some separation with Beyond The Past as the pair moved swiftly away from the field and tripped the timer in 1:55.4. The win established a new seasonal mark, with the margin of victory listed as three lengths.
Trained by Bob Marston for owner John DiAntonio Jr., it was Beyond The Past’s second victory in his last three starts, and 15th of his career. The score brought his lifetime bankroll up to $137,918, and he paid a nice $11.80 for the triumph.
Dinner Party tracked along to be second; Sixfingerfreddie (13-1, McGwire Sowers) was third.
Another swift, upper class event witnessed Axion Hanover score by a neck in the $4,800 conditioned pace for driver Drew Campbell in 1:57.2. Trained by Mark Harris for owner Gayle Harris, the 6-year-old son of Betting Line paid $11.40 to win. Favorite Always At My Place (6-5, Zach Vickerson) finished second.
Hunter Lofthus returned to his winning ways taking this week’s Maine Amateur Driving Club (MADC) event with Maximus in 1:59.2. The $4,000 purse attracted a full field, but they were no match for the Benson Merrill-trained 9-year-old son of Sportsmaster as he was parked for the entire first lap from post eight and drew off to win by 2-1/2 lengths. They paid $10.00 for the victory. The MADC is sponsored by the Blue Seal Feed stores of North Falmouth and Windham, Maine.
There was another ‘triple double’ on the afternoon program, with drivers Bruce Ranger and Kevin Switzer Jr. each enjoying a hat trick. Trainers Benson Merrill and Bob Marston both harnessed a pair of winners. After 12 cards of the spring meeting at Cumberland, the leading driver is McGwire Sowers with 21 wins, followed by Nick Graffam (18), Drew Campbell (16), Bruce Ranger (12) and Kevin Switzer Jr. (11). The top conditioner is Autym Robinson with 17 wins, followed by Benson Merrill (11) and Andy Harrington (9).
Racing reconvenes at Cumberland on Friday (May 23) at 3:15 pm.
Looking ahead, First Tracks Cumberland will be offering horsemen several lucrative late closing series to choose from, most with $12,500 finals, throughout the month of June. More information can be found on our website, firsttrackscumberland.com.
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.
