BANGOR – Bangor Raceway is readying for one of its busiest weekends of the year.

Race secretary Fred Nichols said that the festivities get underway tonight at 7:15 when the card includes four Maine Sire Stakes Breeders races.

“The races are for two- and three-year-old fillies. These are all Maine-bred horses,” Nichols said.

Each of the races is worth $6,000.

Racing continues Sunday afternoon with a tribute to long-time NEWS harness racing writer Ken Ward who died almost one year ago in July 2001.

“The New England Harness Horse Writers’ Association is sponsoring the Ken Ward Memorial on Sunday,” Nichols said.

Six additional breeders stakes races take also place Sunday afternoon for two and three year old colts.

Sunday’s card also includes races sponsored by the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and by the Bangor Daily News.

Sunday’s racing will be preceded by the Anah Temple Shrine parade at 12:45 p.m. The parade includes more than 30 different units including bagpipers, clowns, go karts and Keystone Kops.

With just three weekends of racing remaining in the Bangor meet Nichols said that more money is being bet this year than in 2001. Nichols said that on track betting is up 9.9 percent over last year while off track betting has improved by 28 percent.

“Attendance has been very good. It isn’t anything I can measure because it’s free admission so there’s no count. But it’s been good,” Nichols said.