Farmington Fair begins seven-day harness meet Saturday

Harness racing on Maine’s agricultural fair circuit returns tommorrow at Farmington in conjunction with the 160th edition of the annual Franklin County Agricultural Exhibition. Scarborough Downs is closed for three weeks, making Farmington the only live harness track operating in Maine. Cumberland Fair and Fryeburg Fair will also race unapposed after the Farmington Fair and Scarborough Downs will return to its live racing on Monday, Oct. 9, Columbus Day.

Farmington races seven days, straight ahead, with no dark days, and will simulcast its live racing on six of those days. The first race day, Saturday, Sept. 16, is an extended meet race day and Farmington will not simulcast its 10-race program. The remaining six days are all assigned fair race dates and will be simulcast into all of Maine’s off-track wagering locations.

Officials for Farmington’s race meet include: Clayton Smith, race secretary and Ken Sumner, assistant race secretary. David Dunn is the director of racing and Dana Delisle sits in the catbird seat as presiding judge, assisted by associates Joyce Tiner and Sheridan Smith and veteran harness track announcer Ernie Cobb makes the race calls.

During the week, Farmington will feature a $5,000 Invitational Pace, sponsored by Hight Chevrolet of Farmington. The track will also host the three-year-old Maine Standardbred Breeders Stakes, with the trotters on Monday; the filly pacers on Tuesday and the colt pacers on Wednesday. Post times at Farmington are: 1:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, with the final race day on Saturday, Sept. 23 observing a 1:30 p.m. post time.

Last year, Heath Campbell paced Rhine Wine, owned by the late Lou Hoxie of East Millinocket, to a new Farmington track mark of 1:56, lowering the previous pacing mark of 1:57.1, set in 1999 by Yo Ho Ho and Shawn Gray.

Scarborough Downs is on its annual four-week hiatus. But on the last Sunday before shutdown, the track showcased the 2-year-old Maine Standardbred Breeders Stakes Finals.

In the $22,677 trot final, the mile went in 2:06.2 and all of the first-three place finishers were sired by Moving Forward, one of Maine’s premium trotting stallions. Wally Watson trotted Texas Valentine, owned by Nancy and Harold `Bub’ Dresser of Lyndonville, Vt., to the first-place victory followed by All the Extras, driven by Gordon Corey and Bold Gesture, driven by owner/driver, John Beckwith. Unfortunately for Beckwith, the judges spotted an infraction and moved him to fourth place, and awarded Island Courtesan (by Impeccable Hanover) and David Ingraham, third place.

In the filly pace, Nickel’s Gem and Steve Mahar, left no doubt that the front-end of this $22,732 MSBS filly final belonged to them. From the sixth hole, Mahar took Gem to the top, maintaining the lead by several lengths and the field had to play catch-up. Gem and Mahar made it a wire-to-wire victory in 2:02 for owner Brian Bickmore of Bangor. Pansy and Heath Campbell finished second for owner Roosevelt Susi and Jims Voodoo Doll and Gary Mosher landed third.

In Sunday’s $22,716 MSBS colt final at Scarborough, The Spoiler, son of Wilco’s Data, owned by Valerie Chow of Brunswick and driven by Dave Ingraham, closed out his season by winning in 2:00.4. The finals victory moved Spoiler from second to first place in the season’s top point standings for his division. Finishing second was Heath Campbell behind W J M, followed by Kevin Switzer with Bob’s Night Off.

On Sunday, Long Fella, Maine’s top sire of two-year-old MSBS entries were paraded around the track. Maybe they should have paraded trainer Dick Bartlett of Windsor, as well. Last year, Bartlett began training two Long Fella colts and two Long Fella fillies. Percentages and attrition being what they are, 50 percent would have been good percentage to make it to the finals. But last Sunday, Bartlett had all four in the 2-year-old MSBS finals. Says something for the sire, but also says something for the trainer. In the 3-year-old divisions, Radiant Ruler still dominates the sire standings, according to Jeff Graffam, MSBS president

PACING BITS — A reminder that the New England Harness Writers Association awards dinner at Cumberland Raceway clubhouse starts at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 1. Dinner tickets and sponsorships must be made by Saturday, Sept. 23, and are available from any member of the Harness Racing Promotion Board; Clayt Smith at 846-5649; Ken Ward at 989-4739 or write: Joe Vacarro, 5 Gerald Road, Stoneham, Ma., 02180-1836.