Tight horse supply about to improve as area fairs end

Northern Maine Fair in Presque Isle and Topsham Fair, both racing fairs, end their annual agricultural exhibitions on Saturday. The end of the head-to-head fair racing should relieve the tight horse supply somewhat as racing action moves to Skowhegan Fair on Sunday.

Scarborough Downs will also move back into racing tonight after being dark to live racing at the seaside race track since last Sunday, in part to accomodate the fairs. At Presque Isle tonight, NMF’s 8-dash racing program will feature the Kenneth Irving Memorial Pace for a $2,000 purse. Irving was a great supporter of harness racing for more than 50 years at the Aroostook County track.

The six-horse pacing field for The Irving feature has an outstanding performer in Armbro Foxy coming from in sixth position. Foxy established a track record of 1:56 at Bangor Raceway earlier this season. Sitting in front of Foxy in fifth is Dragonfire and Wade Canney. Dragonfire is a speedy 4-year-old son of Dignitarian, who has consistently raced at the 2:00 mark in Bangor and has a lifetime mark of 1:58.1, set in 1992. Post time for Friday’s races at NMF is 7:30 p.m. and Saturday post time is 1:30 p.m.

Topsham Fair heads into the final two days of racing, in con Topsham Fair heads into the final two days of racing, in conjunction with its annual fair, with nine dashes on Friday and a 2 p.m. post time and 10 dashes on Saturday with a 1:30 p.m. post time. Saturday’s Topsham feature is a $2,500 Topsham Fair Pace, a preferred pace with positions assigned. Topsham officials are looking for a new track pacing mark on Saturday with a select 5-horse field for the event.

Coming from the fifth position is the strongest contender in the field, Racealong JD, being driven by Leigh Fitch. The pair scored a two-length victory in 1:55.4 at Skowhegan Raceway last Saturday, the final day of Skowhegan’s extended meet racing. The outstanding winning mile is two-fifths of a second off Skowhegan’s pacing mark of 1:55.2, set by Autobot and George Brennan Jr. in the $4,000 Walter Hight Pace in 1992.

Not to be discounted in this speed pace is Biscuit’s Boy and Walter Case Jr., sitting right in front of Racealong JD, in fourth. It is almost a rematch of last week when Case and Biscuit finished third in 1:56.1 to Racealong JD in the $2,000 Skowhegan feature. Cinplicity and Shawn Thayer have the rail; Lindwood Cyclone and Donny Richards (lifetime 1:57.1) is in second; and Dover’s Kojack rounds out the field in the fourth position. In this bunch, one mis-step and all you will hear is echos.

Racing moves to Skowhegan next week. Among the feature events will be the $4,000 Walter H. Hight Memorial Pace, an invitational that also offers an additional $3,000 to the owner of the horse who breaks Autobot’s 1:55.2 track pacing record. Post times next week are: 2 p.m. Sunday; 7:30 p.m. Monday; dark Tuesday; 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and 2 p.m. Saturday.

PACING BITS – For those who inquired as to why regular Canadian driver John Davidson was not listed among the starting drivers at Maine racetracks for the past week.

On Saturday, July 31, the second day of Skowhegan’s extended meet racing, there was a four-horse accident on the track, almost at the three-quarter mile marker. The reason for the accident is for the judges to determine and rule on, but horses and participants colliding and hitting the turf were: Anken Gator and John Davidson; What Went Right and Scott MacKenzie; Sales Ring and Brent Thayer; and Precious Ace and Ivan Davies.

The horses were bruised, as were three of the drivers, but everyone made it back to the paddock unassisted, except for John Davidson. He was taken to an area hospital for observation. Davidson suffered a twisted wrist, which although painful, did not require surgery. Doctors prescribed a week of rest for Davidson, according to Clayt Smith, racing consultant at Skowhegan. He headed back to the Woodstock area of Canada and as soon as his wrist feels better, Davidson should return to driving in Maine.