May 7, 2026, by Chris Tully, for First Tracks Cumberland
(Joe Shaw photo)
CUMBERLAND, ME – While the horse racing world is still buzzing about the Standardbred connection to Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Cherie DeVaux, Cumberland Raceway gets back to business on Friday (May 8) with a trotting rivalry that has also shown no signs of slowing down.
Around the time DeVaux and Jose Ortiz (the winning KY Derby jockey) were busy throwing out the first pitch at Yankee Stadium, the connections of Brutalizer and Big Al M were finishing their stable duties and caring for the favorites in advance of Friday’s $7,000 Winners Over Trot.
With both horses owning a two-win record this season, and having faced each other on multiple occasions since mid-March, they also exchanged blows in several bouts during November and December at the iconic Southern Maine oval.
The early morning line favorite from post seven is Big Al M (2-1, Zach Vickerson) who got stung three-wide into a :28.3 opening panel last week, cut the rest of the fractions and got overtaken by his nemesis in the closing round, just before the bell. The more seasoned of the two trotting titans, Big Al M has 34 lifetime wins and $533,580. The 8-year-old son of Anders Bluestone needs just three more victories to tie Charles “Do Bronx” Oliveira’s UFC record.
Brutalizer who will score from post six for Andy Harrington is listed at 5-2 and carries the swagger of his last victory into the fight, with 12 career decisions and $142,362 in the pot. A model of consistency, the 5-year-old son of Alarm Detector has never been worse than third in his last 16 starts. One could argue that he has youth and form in his corner.
Nonetheless, the former Maine Sire Stakes champion trotting mare Pembroke Breeze will take her 5-year-old bow for the driver/trainer team of Heath Campbell and Valerie Grondin. A winner of $211,299 lifetime with 19 wins, she loves the Cumberland oval and won by 7-1/2 in 1:58 her last time Downeast. She is listed at 7-2 from post four and should not be overlooked.
The exotic wagering action starts with a Pick-5 in the opener, then the Pick-4 is set for the last four races on the program (races 9-12). The Pick-3 begins in race 10, and all boast a low 16% takeout. In addition, the 20-cent Superfecta is available in races four, six, and eight, along with a Pentafecta in races five and the finale.
Racing continues on Saturday (May 9) with a 10-race program and is the second half of the third of six weekends of Friday-Saturday racing, which runs through the month of May. After which the calendar reverts back to Saturday-Sunday cards for the month of June.
First post is always 12:15 pm (EDT) during the extended pari-mutuel meeting, which runs through August 2.
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