Bangor Raceway operators rehire GM Fred Nichols for ’95

The Bangor Historic Track investor group, private operators of Bangor Raceway, met Monday and voted to rehire Fred Nichols as its general manager for 1995.

Nichols presented the investment group with final figures on Bangor’s 1994 extended harness meet and discussed plans for 1995. Nichols said the ’94 parimutuel handle for the 34-day extended meet at Bangor Raceway was $2,285,562, compared to $2,154,900 in 1993, an increase of $130,662.

The per-dash average this season was down 7.6 percent.

In 1994, Bangor raced 358 dashes for a daily average of $63,084 compared to 312 dashes in 1993 for a daily average of $69,007.

Did the investors make any money this year?

No, “but we almost broke even. We were also very lucky with the weather. We didn’t have a rain delay or have to cancel,” Nichols said.”What we did have was a severe shortage of horses and that has lasted most of the summer.”

Nichols blamed the track’s increased financial burden on “first-time, one-time” expenses associated with the ongoing maintenance program his group agreed to with the city, which owns the racing complex. Those expenses amounted to more than $60,000.

The track spent $64,035 for everything connected with the off-track up-link signal for simulcasting Bangor’s races, said Nichols, who explained $56,739 was received from OTB signal fees and the horsemen’s purse account.

“However, by up-linking our racing signal, we are eligible to share in the legislatively mandated 3.4 percent that is returned to racetracks that simulcast its races. This year, for the Bangor track, it amounts to about $95,000.”

Bangor will receive two more stipends based on its parimutuel handle, projected at $13,500 from the agricultural fair stipend and $16,650 from the extended meet stipend.

“We overspent the purse account by $32,000. We were forced to do that, and also overspent on physical improvements to the plant, both in the barn and grandstand area,” Nichols said. “But the repairs are done and except for a couple of things under the grandstand, everything in those two areas have been pretty much been completed.”

Track officials continue to review their maintenance program, budgeting funds next year for a new sound system, new double-duty saddle pads and head numbers for horses. They are discussing ideas for a new shadow fence on the backstretch and replacement of the “on-ground” plastic hub rail with a system of permanent nylon plyons.

Nichols admits this year has been a learning experience. He cites a piece of legislation which, when originally written early last spring, would have benefited both commercial meet tracks and agricultural fair tracks. But a change in the bill after it came out of committee and before it was approved cost Bangor Raceway $40,000 and Maine’s racing fairs more than $100,000.

Most Maine racing fairs experienced an average drop in parimutuel handle of 10 percent in 1994.

Nichols’ investment group will apply to the Maine State Harness Racing Committee in October for a total of 44 racing days in 1995. Nichols said they will offer a minimum purse of $1,000. The schedule calls for 34 days, beginning Friday, May 26 and ending Sunday, July 23.

They will also apply for three dates during the Bangor State Fair for July 28-30. The Bass Park Committee must approve such a request, a move it has been reluctant to make in the past.

Bangor’s private operator has indicated it will try some fall racing and apply for fall extended meet dates, Sept. 6-15. These dates are part of the two-day week of extended meet racing at Farmington Raceway. Discussions are under way with Farmington officials.

If Farmington relinquishes those dates and the MSHRC re-issues the dates to Bangor, racing would return to Bangor when Windsor Fair closes on Labor Day.

Nichols said next season the Bangor barns will open March 1 and stay open until Oct. 31, well through the fair season.

“We should be in much better shape next season. If we have the numbers of horsemen who say they will stay in a winter barn – and they pay – the prospects look much better than they did this year,” Nichols said.

Nichols has set immediate priorities at the Bangor track of: following needed legislation; recruiting an adequate horse supply; and promotions.

PACING BITS – The Maine harness community was saddened this past week by the death of Albert “Gillie” Gallant, 62, of Bangor. Gillie came from a harness horse background and shared his love of the Standardbred sport with brothers Ken and Donnie, his son, Mitch, and a third generation horseman, grandson Steve Vafiades. Gillie was one of the original tenants, in E barn, facing the track, when it opened in 1974 and has been a fixture there ever since. A great trotting mechanic, Gillie and the Gallant Stables had great success with many horses, including trotter Fort McHenry and stakes trotter Greenie D Joelle. Rest well.