Bangor Raceway speeds up Track recognized for state record program

BANGOR – Talk about coming all the way from the back of the pack.

Eleven months later, a state record-breaking performance at Bangor Raceway has been confirmed by track officials.

Officials knew the 121st racing season at the Raceway ended on a big note – but hardly anyone realized how big – when 10 horses’ noses crossed the finish line with times under two minutes: Ten sub-2-minute miles in one 12-race program. All of them were race winners.

“Wow, that’s better than I thought. That’s a record for us as well as the state,” said Bangor Raceway general manager Fred Nichols, who had no idea the feat was a first for any track in the state of Maine. “Windsor Fair had the previous record.”

Nichols said he wasn’t aware of the magnitude of the feat until it was brought to his attention by former Saint Joseph’s College athletic director and men’s basketball coach Rick Simonds.

The horses which took part in the record-breaking feat were: Mack Mcgwire (1 minute, 59 seconds), Arizona Magic (1:58.4), Pentagon Don (1:59.3), Reserved (1:59.4), Kyro Down (1:59.3), Captain Killean (1:58.3), Fox Valley Kincade (1:58.3), Pickin Pluck (1:55.3), Abliss (1:57.1), and Didgeridoo (1:56.4).

Gary Mosher drove four of the sub-2:00 horses (Pentagon Don, Kryo Down, Captain Killean, Pickin Pluck). Heath Campbell (Mack Mcgwire, Arizona Magic) and Jason Bartlett (Reserved, Abliss) each drove two of the horses with the others being driven by David Ingraham (Didgeridoo) and Robert Sumner (Fox Valley Kincade).

More recently, Sunday’s race program also featured some records. Nichols said five horses set lifetime half-mile records or personal bests.

Things certainly appear to be proceeding at a brisk pace on the Bass Park grounds. Veteran track superintendent Arnold Van Dyne may have something to do with that.

“Geez, it’s a lot better,” said Van Dyne, who is in his 12th year of maintaining the Raceway track. “I’ve learned how to do it better. We have better equipment and material. We’re using a better stone dust which gives it better traction.”

The fact that the abundant spring rains helped packed the surface down a bit more didn’t hurt either. The track, which has usually been graded an average of twice a season in the past, has already been graded twice this season.

“It gets heavy on the lower turn and you have to spread that around and not leave so much on the inside,” explained Van Dyne, who was asked to come in earlier than usual to prepare the track this March. “It was too heavy and muddy. They were doing it wrong at first, floating the mud out and not in.”

That probably means a lot more to a dirt and stone expert than the casual race fan, but whatever it means, it certainly has made for a complaint-free season so far.

“There were some complaints last year from drivers about the track, but sometimes they contradicted themselves,” Nichols said with a slight chuckle. “This year, I haven’t heard a thing.”

Neither has Van Dyne, who will finish up his Bangor Raceway duties at the end of this month. Normally he would go on to Windsor Fair, but he hasn’t decided if he will this year. If he does, he’ll take a week off following the Windsor Fair racing schedule and then head off to Farmington to do the same thing. Just a normal summer for the retiree from Milo.

“I just bought a new three-quarter[-ton] truck and a camper and we usually head down to southern Georgia in the fall,” said the soft-spoken stone dust devotee.

Four days for the Fourth

Bangor Raceway will hold its only four-day racing weekend with the usual Friday-Sunday programs and a special Monday/Fourth of July program starting at 6:30 p.m., timed to conclude just before the City of Bangor fireworks show.

“We’ve got the Dixieland Band there and we try to make it more of a family event on that day with a balloon lady, concessions, and other things,” said Nichols.

Foremost among those things is the University of Maine’s equestrian drill team, which is part of the UMaine agricultural/cooperative extension program.

“I think it’s the fourth year we’ve had them here,” Nichols said. “They have eight or so horses who are all retired standardbreds which have been trained to perform. They usually do a 15-minute program before the first race starts.”

Team members will also be the honorary grand marshals.

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