For only the second time in the 24-year history of the Maine Standardbred Breeders Stakes, all MSBS divisions will start at Bangor Raceway this year. This weekend, Bangor will showcase the lucrative MSBS 3-year-old divisions on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

In Friday’s 12-race program, the track will feature two MSBS 3-year-old trotting divisions, one non-bettor and the other trot carded as a betting race. The first division, a six-horse non-betting race, will be raced after the sixth race for a purse of $4,753.

Odds-on favorite to win the opening MSBS trot is Mic Mac Express, a Moving Forward gelding owned by Ninon and John Lohnes of Union, who compiled a record as a 2-year-old MSBS juvenile of nine wins and one third in 11 starts and earned $29,541.92 in stakes money and set a lifetime trotting mark of 2:04.2. Although it took four tries to get him qualified this year, he already has established a new lifetime mark of 2:02.4 in his only start (and win) this season at Scarborough Downs. Gordon Corey is the pilot.

Also take note of a new entry this year, a Frankenshew gelding, Captain EP, owned by Ed Reynolds of Bangor. He missed last year’s stakes, but shows a lot of trotting promise.

In the second division, seven trotting hopefuls head to post for $4,948 in the season opener. Of the seven entries in the trotting field, six are sired by Moving Forward (one by Hot Blooded), and it looks like the Elmer Ballard- trained Affaire Du Coeur (with the rail) and the Richard Bartlett-trained Reaching For Glory, from the seven hole with David Ingraham driving, should command most of the attention. Friday’s 12-dash program also includes the opening leg of the Miss Bangor, a pacing series for fillies and mares of all ages, for a $1,400 purse.

On Saturday’s 12-race program, the MSBS pacing fillies will be raced in two divisions, both betting races. In the eighth race, nine horses vie for the winning percentage of the $5,855 purse.

The fillies return this year as much stronger young ladies. Five of the nine entries have already won this season in overnight events at Scarborough Downs: Rosy Susi’s Lolly (Merrilywerollalong) won in 2:04.3; Nancy Rogers’ Rosie’s On A Roll, (Merrilywerollalong) won in 2:03: Jim and Betsy Kelley’s Londons Outofmoney (Money Supply) won in 2:07; Basil Kellis’ Hannah Lorraine (Skip By Night) won twice, once in 2:01 and 2:03.1 and Bing Bang Bunny (Skip By Night) won in 2:05.1.

In the second filly division, for a $6,050 purse, 10 distaffers make up the bulky pacing field for the 12th race. Hare Rollers, (Merrilywerollalong) owned by Richard Hartley of Bangor and driven by Heath Campbell, won it all last season. Hare Rollers had nine wins a second and a third in 11 starts as a 2-year-old MSBS stakes filly, set a lifetime mark of 2:02 and earned a total of $32,825. She qualified at Bangor last week in 2:03.3. It don’t get any better than that.

On Saturday, Hare Rollers drew the fourth position in the race against her chief rival all last season, Sunander and Gary Mosher, who drew the rail position. Although Sunander has not had a start this season, she did qualify at Bangor a week ago in 2:01.3 with Mosher in the bike. As a 2-year-old, Sunander had seven wins, a second and a third in nine starts and earned a total bankroll of $26,009. She finished second in the 1997 2-year-old MSBS finals to Hare Rollers in 2:02.1. A good trifecta box is 1-3-4, worth about $10.

On Sunday’s 15-race program, the MSBS heavyweights hit the Bangor track in two betting divisions of the 3-year-old pacing colts in the eighth and eleventh races.

In the eighth race, for a $5,457 purse, Malo Modo, Dean Mower’s Maladys Atom colt, has already won twice this season in races designed to tighten him up – last week on Bangor’s muddy track in 2:07.1, and in mid-May at Scarborough Downs in 2:05. The rail position is held down by Norm St. Clair’s Wilco Data gelding, Mimi’s Demon and Brian Nelson, who has finished his last two trips in second at Scarborough in 2:03 and change. The most impressive stat is on Past Due Bill, a My Bill Forwood gelding, who qualified last week at Rosecroft in 1:57.2. But he makes big breaks and it took five times to meet the qualifying standards.

In the second division, eight horses vie for the winning share of the $5,653 purse. Branchbrook Mystic, a Merrilywerollalong colt, driven by Kevin Switzer and owned by Bill Whitcher of Pownal, looks the best on paper. He won his last two races, one in 1:59.3 at Scarborough and the race before in 2:01.3, with two breaks. Last year’s MSBS 2-year-old colt finals winner, John David, who earned $27,767 in stakes winnings, drew eighth for Sunday’s first stakes go-around and second place MSBS finals winner last season, Spike O’Hara, a $16,184 stakes winner last season sits beside him in seventh.

Sunday’s racing program also includes three Learn & Earn races which are scheduled at an early post time.