It’s a big weekend for the Maine harness racing community as the starting gates open on the 31st annual Maine Breeders Stakes series.

Many owners, drivers, trainers, fans and gamblers will trot over to Bangor Raceway Sunday afternoon as the first two races – for 3-year-old colt pacers – highlight the track’s fifth weekend of operation this season.

“It’s an exciting time because it’s something people have worked very hard for. Just getting a horse to the track takes three to four years,” said Diann W. Perkins, president of the Maine Standardbred Breeders and Owners Association (MSBOA). “To get a stake horse to the races is an accomplishment in itself because only 20 percent of the horses sired even make it to the stakes.”

Perkins said Maine has one of the higher averages nationally in that regard.

The series involves 11 tracks including Oxford Fairgrounds, which has never hosted a stakes race before.

The second and sixth races in Bangor’s 1:30 p.m. Sunday schedule will be $6,000 purse stakes races.

“We’ve got our largest race cards of the year so far this weekend and with the initial leg of the Maine Breeder’s Crown starting, and we typically get a surge [in attendance and betting] because a lot of the owners come up to see them race,” said Fred Nichols Bangor Raceway’s general manager.

Perkins, now in her third year as MSBOA president, is one of those who will be on hand.

“Seeing these babies get to the races is my greatest thrill,” said Perkins with the fervor or a godmother or favorite aunt. “I know a lot of the horses’ pedigrees and I love seeing the owners get so excited when their horses do so well.

“I can’t say I changed their diapers, but yes, I remember a lot of these horses when they were foals.”

The series involves eight races for the 2-year-olds and 12 for the 3-year-olds. The younger colts and fillies start their season July 3 at Scarborough Downs, which alternates series dates with Bangor the first four weeks.

The top six finishers in each series race earn points (50 for first, 25 for second, 12 for third, eight for fourth, five for fifth, and one for sixth). The finals take place Sept. 11 for 2-year-olds and Oct. 16 for 3-year-olds.

Bangor eyes strong stretch run

After four straight weeks of decreasing handles – comparing the first 12 dates of Bangor Raceway’s season this year to last year’s – the numbers, and track officials’ expectations are going up.

Bangor Raceway general manager Fred Nichols has reason to be positive despite the fact the 2005 year-to-date handle is down 21.7 percent from that of 2005.

“Last year, the total handle for the first 12 dates was $375,496 and this year it’s $293,926,” said Nichols.

So why the optimism?

“Well, it’s comparing apples to oranges because the number of races is down 14 percent due to a shortage of horses, so when you factor that in, the handle is really down eight percent,” Nichols explained. “We had 64 races over 12 dates last year and just 55 this year.”

There are other factors at work as well.

“The weather the first two weekends was just horrible this year, so we were hurt not only by the number of horses and races, but also by the weather,” said Nichols. “All those ingredients make the cocktail a bitter drink.”

Still, you won’t see any “bitter beer face” on Nichols because numbers are improving.

“Last weekend’s numbers were higher than last year’s and we’re going to continue to gain because we had Wednesday racing last year and that was never really a good night,” he explained. “With all our dates being Friday-Saturday-Sunday this year, they are bound to go up, and don’t forget, last year we really bucked the trend because we were up 12 percent, so the long-term trend is upward.”

For those of you lost in the numbers, Nichols supplied a football analogy.

“I’m thinking it’s like the way the Patriots started off a couple years ago, going 0-2, 1-3 or whatever and eventually winning the Super Bowl,” he said with a chuckle.

Andrew Neff can be reached at 990-8205, 1-800-310-8600 or at aneff@bangordailynews.net