Bangor sets ambitious programs

Bangor Raceway begins the second half of its 45-day extended race meet this weekend with one of its most ambitious racing programs to date. Friday’s program calls for 12 races (including three simulcasts from The Meadowlands) and has two divisional simulcasts of the Historic Cup, a trotting series for 3-year-old colts and geldings, each division going for a $48,000 purse.

There is also a live trot for a $1,200 purse, with a pretty good field of trotters, sponsored by Penobscot High Stakes Bingo. In the seventh position in the race is When To Win, a 4-year-old trotter who won two divisions of the Paul Bunyan Trotting Series. Last week, he broke trotting gait three times in the first half mile, but went on to wire the field and win by a quarter of a length in 2:05.1. Look for a repeat this week for driver Joey Mosher.

In the 11th, it’s the second week of competition in The Stars of Tomorrow Series, a pace for $1,500. The eight-horse field is dominated by a newcomer to the series, Casino Brat, driven by Walter LaFreniere Jr. They are listed as the morning line favorite. Wally has been hot lately, with three wins last Sunday. Too bad Randy Bickmore wasn’t driving in the field. He also copped three wins and a second last Sunday. Watch out Wally, Bickmore is a smoking gun.Brat and LaFreniere , however, will make the handicappers’ prognostications correct. Circle them a winner.

Close out the Friday card with the 12th race, the $67,955 Ladyship Stakes, a pace for 3-year-old fillies, simulcast from The Meadowlands. If you like Gold Coast and Bill Fahy, you probably have a winner!

Saturday’s Bangor Raceway program has 15 races and includes two pre-race Learn and Earn Series for 2-year-old trotters and pacers, one mixed non-betting race, and the other a pace. It also includes four simulcasts (three from The Meadowlands, one from Sportsman’s Park – via The Meadowlands) and a $1,200 live feature pace, The Charles Glaster Memorial.

The eighth race, the $83,155 Jersey Cup Series for 3-year-old pacers, is simulcast from The Meadowlands. The 11th race is a simulcast from Sportsman’s Park and is the second division of the American National Pace, for a $155,000 purse. In the 13th race simulcast, a $15,000 pace for 3-year-olds, Bilateral, a winner in 1:52 in the New Jersey Sire Stakes, drew the rail in the 10-horse field.

Sunday’s racing program at Bangor has 12 live races and two simulcasts. The simulcasts are thoroughbred races from Sportsman’s Park in Chicago.

COUNTY RACEWAY enters its second Friday racing program of its current extended meet. The eight-race program has two double dashes and the first race horses head postward at 7:30 p.m.

WHEN ARTSPLACE paced a 1:49.2, making it the fastest mile in the history of harness racing, at The Meadowlands last Saturday, there was another record set last Friday at Bangor Raceway that went unnoticed. Golden Adventure and Nelson Adams paced a 1:58.4, laying a claim to the fastest mile for all age mares at Bangor Raceway. The previous mark was 1:59, set by We Won and driven by Derryl Niles Jr. on June 26, 1991. Trusty Anna and Marc Mosher has a 1:59.4 pacing mark for all age mares on July 19. In that race, Golden Adventure was third behind second place finisher Otto’s Gold Flash.