With nine dashes on Saturday and 11 dashes on Sunday, the horse shortage and the virus that was strangling Bangor’s harness meet racing since opening day, seems to be easing a little. Fred Nichols, raceway manager, hopes to add Friday to his racing schedule next week.

But before the parimutuel bell sounds at Bangor Raceway on Saturday, four events will have already been contested. Two pre-race “Earn and Learn” series (for trotters and pacers) will head to post as non-betting events at 6:20 p.m. after two qualifying races at 6 p.m. Among the entries is a 3-year-old Groveton trotting filly, Chocolate Chili, that in my estimation, has the attributes an owner looks for, especially speed.

I’m sure there are others with great potential in the group, like Mattoni, a 2-year-old trotter owned by Jim and Betsy Kelley of East Millinocket, but Chili is the trotter I have watched all winter.

On the backstretch at the Bangor track, she takes off like Ray Ireland and Westridge Gossip did the first time they trotted, and won, at Bangor a few years ago, but on the turns, she sometimes falters.

Some days, Chili trots the turns easily while other days she looks like the galloping Jimmy Peanuts in his heyday. If trainer/driver Val Grondin can get Chili together by July 2, the official start of the Maine Standardbred Breeders Stakes, Chili will be awesome. Come watch her yourself Saturday and make your own judgement.

Saturday’s eighth-race feature is a $2,200 open pace for fillies and mares. Four of the distaffers have won in 2:00 this season. From the rail position comes Nobleland Lady, who won by a neck last week at Scarborough Downs in 2:00.2. Owned by Sonny Higgins of Bangor, driven by Steve Mahar, this 5-year-old daughter of Nobleland has the rail advantage.

And her stiffest competition is right beside her in second – My Bills Carrie Jo, a winner at Bangor two weeks ago in 2:00. She is driven by John Davidson and owned by Lloyd Peirce of Newport. This 8-year-old My Bill Forwood mare got hung outside last week and ran out of gas. But this week, from the two hole, she should grab her frontrunning position and fend off competition.

The third strongest lady in the group is Immortal Beloved, a 5-year-old Camtastic mare, owned by Elijah Fournier, trained by Bernie Fournier and driven by Grondin. Six wins in 15 starts is her seasonal record with a 1:59.2 win last week at Scarborough Downs. Three of her seasonal wins have been at Bangor Raceway.

Rounding out the field are: Michelle Jordan and Gary Hall; Kendal Orchid and Gary Mosher and Farmer Lisa and Kim Ireland. Fine gentlemen and great horses, but spectators from the back of the pack on Saturday.

Sunday’s 11-race program features one trot race and 10 pacing events with some new faces at Bangor. A couple of races have skinny fields (with five entries), but nine are full, or nearly full, competitive fields.

And for doubles – on Saturday, do you suppose Kim Ireland can make it another double-ender again this weekend? He looks the best with Ronnie Dinsmore’s Th Joe in the first race and George and Randy Tompkins Can-Am’s Chance wins the second (1-6). On Sunday in the first race, Team Falcon has the rail and also the newest driving member of the MacKenzie family, Cain – an unbeatable combination. In the second half of the double, Grammar Girl and Dirk Duncan (with glasses) crosses the time stripe first.

For the first time in 25 years, all divisions of the Maine Standardbred Breeders Stakes will be raced at Northern Maine Fair in Presque Isle, beginning Friday, July 30. NMF is the first agricultural fair of the season to host the MSBS, according to Richard Duncan, a former member of the Maine Harness Racing Commission and director of racing at NMF. The MHRC made the change in stake-date allocations at its last meeting, awarding NMF Skowhegan’s canceled stakes dates because Skowhegan’s racing facility would not be ready for the extended meet races.

Also for the first time in several years, the Aroostook County’s annual agricultural exhibition will operate alone, separated from the annual bumping of heads for horses with Topsham Fair. Topsham will operate its fair and race meet the week following NMF. Duncan said NMF is building extra stalls in its paddock to accomodate the stakes entries “and the track will be in top-notch shape for racing,” Duncan said.

NMF will race only its fair dates, according to Duncan. He said NMF did not apply for additional extended meet days following the fair.

“The whole idea was to get Northern Maine and Topsham separated. It wouldn’t make any sense for us to race extended meet days against them. It’s just not true,” Duncan said, “we didn’t apply for and we were not granted any extra race days.”

Before you start telling me how far it is to travel to Presque Isle to race your stakes horse, remember – you only make the trip once or twice each year, but Aroostook County horsemen make it every week to help support your racing program. Support them during their annual fair week.

Pacing bits

Kudos to Heath Campbell and Point Break on an outstanding winning mile at Plainridge Racecourse last Monday. The 9-year-old Storm horse, owned by Eric Johnson of Summerside, Prince Edward Island, stopped the teletimer at 1:55.4, the second fastest mile in the history of the new Massachusetts racetrack.