Higher handles, attendance only bright spots for ’00

A new year begins on Monday when we usher in 2001. But before that happens, it’s a good time to review some condensed highlights from Maine’s horse racing industry in 2000.

In 1999, the year ended terribly with the tragic and untimely death of Tom Kole, executive director of the Maine Harness Racing Promotion Board.

At the Down East Harness Horsemen’s Association annual winter meeting and awards banquet, Gypsy, an outstanding stakes filly, was selected by readers of the Bangor Daily News as their Harness Horse of the Year. Who will it be this year?

Last year’s greatest single threat to the viability of Maine’s harness horse industry and off-track wagering parlors was Internet and telephone wagering on horse racing on out-of-state racetracks. “This is just the tip of the iceberg,” warned OTB operator and restaurateur Peter Martin of Waterville. “It’s only going to get worse, much worse.” OTB wagering in Maine accounts for almost 65 percent of the state’s parimutuel handle.

At its 88th meeting in Portland, members of the Maine Agricultural Fair Association heard Fred Lunt Jr. from the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources say Maine’s total parimutuel handle in 1999 was down only 1.6 percent from the previous year.

The one universal complaint made by representatives of Maine’s eight agricultural racing fairs and two extended meets at the MAAF meeting was the lack of horses to fill race programs. The horse shortage resulted in short fields, eliminated some exotic wagers (trifectas), and, in turn, lowered parimutuel handles. The problem of a tight horse supply eased somewhat in 2000, resulting in a 3.39 percent increase in parimutuel handle for Maine’s eight fairs and Bangor’s extended meet.

In June, veteran horseman Ray Ireland of Presque Isle had a devastating fire in his stable at Northern Maine Fairgrounds which killed two trotters, Absolutely Fabulous and Midnight Phever. Ireland also lost equipment that he had collected for over 30 years. The fire was caused by faulty electrical wiring, authorities said.

In early summer, members of the Bass Park Advisory Board sought input from park tenants and interested horse people to help them make decisions on the future of Bass Park. Fred Nichols, raceway manager of Bangor Historic Park, lessees of Bangor Raceway, told board members his financial group was definitely interested in another contract beyond the end of the current contract date of 2001.

Also in 2000, the Maine harness community was saddened by the deaths of: Helen Gartley, wife of harness driver Roy Gartley; George Witman, mutuels director for the Maine fair circuit for more than 50 years; Frannie Johnson, wife of Bangor horseman Elmer Johnson; and Leroy “Mac” MacDonald Jr. of Hermon, owner/trainer/driver of harness horses.

In mid-summer, Admiral’s Frosty, a 7-year-old mare by Admiral’s Gallery, driven by Heath Campbell and owned by Bill Varney of Bangor, paced a 1:56.4 mile at Scarborough Downs, tying the track record for aged pacing mares.

Two members of the Maine Harness Racing Commission, Chairman Richard Crabtree of Hope and Willis Lord of Limington, resigned and were successful in their bids for seats in the 120th Maine Legislature as was former MHRC member Richard Duncan of Presque Isle. Rep. Howard Chick, president of the Maine Agricultural Fair Association, is also a member of the Maine Legislature. Crabtree and Lord were replaced by Chairman Errol Additon of Leeds and Michael Andrews of Gorham.

Age and experience are no guarantee of safety around horses. Three veteran horsemen were involved in accidents this past summer – Elmer Ballard and Cecil Blackwood Jr. had a training accident at Scarborough Downs and Derryl “Dukey” Niles Jr. of Dexter hit a metal post near the finish line at Skowhegan Fair.

In this year’s Maine Standardbred Breeders Stakes finals, in the 2-year-old divisions, winners were: Texas Valentine (trotter), Nickel’s Gem (filly pacer), and The Spoiler (colt pacer). In the MSBS 3-year-old finals, winners were: Moving By Passer (trotter), French Stepp (filly pacer), and George The Greek (colt pacer).

In the statewide November election, “video lottery terminals” (at certain racetracks), the long-touted referendum to save the entire horse industry in Maine, provide tax relief, prop up OTBs, and get control on almost 3,000 illegal “gray” machines in the state, went down to defeat.

A report from a group chaired by University of Maine professor Todd Gabe of the Department of Resource Economics and Policy and commissioned by the Maine Harness Racing Promotion Board concluded that the Maine harness racing industry annually generates an estimated $50,724,895 in total revenue to the state’s economy.

So what was the overall climate of Maine’s Standardbred industry in 2000? Parimutuel handles and attendance increased somewhat, but little else changed. Perhaps Nichols summed up the nationwide health of the sport in his remark to the Bass Park Advisory Board, “Just to survive in this business today is a good year.”