Bangor Raceway has a first as all winners eclipse 2 minutes

For the first time this year – and likely ever – a Maine harness racing track saw its entire Sunday race card turn in winning times under 2 minutes.

“I couldn’t believe it,” said Mike Hitchcock, Maine Harness Horsemen’s Association director. “I’ve never seen it before, and I’ve been involved in racing for the last 15 years.

“Nobody seems to be able to recall it happening before.”

All nine race winners Sunday finished their miles in less than 2 minutes. According to meharness.com, Maine’s harness racing Web site, it’s a first. Other tracks have had more than nine winners finish under 2 minutes, but none have had all of the card winners do it.

Maine State Harness Racing Commission chairman George McHale is impressed.

“I don’t think it’s ever happened at Bangor and I know for sure it’s a first at any track this year,” said McHale, who also was track announcer at Bangor Raceway for more than 20 years before his appointment as MSHRC chairman 12 years ago.

Even if it isn’t a first, the feat is a significant development.

“When the slots referendum passed, it was hoped it would upgrade the quality and quantity of harness racing, so this is a very good sign that both of those goals are being realized,” said Fred Nichols, race director at Bangor Raceway.

“Our first concern is the number of horses racing because that enables us to offer more product to consumers. Beyond that, this signifies an increase in the breeding and quality of horses,” he added.

All nine races were paces, and the best time turned in was a scalding 1 minute, 56.0 seconds by Rupert Rupert, a 6-year-old horse driven by Joey Mosher in the eighth race. The horse is owned by Scott Dillon and trained by Joey Nelson.

“We knew as soon as the first two went off under two minutes that it would probably happen since the purses and the quality of horses racing go up as the races go on,” said Nichols.

The “slowest” time turned in among the nine winners was 1:59.4, by Birdton Ernie in the second race.

“I think eventually you’re going to see sub 2-minute miles every day,” said Hitchcock, who is also a trainer and owner. “I can’t see it not happening with people spending more money on horses. As a result, we have better horses, the breeding is better, and the bloodlines are much better.”

Hitchcock trains two of Sunday’s winners: Free Stone Lexy in the sixth race and Obie Viking in the ninth.

“I had four of my own horses racing and I had one win in 1:59.2 [Free Stone Lexy] and another in 1:58.4 [Obie Viking],” Hitchcock said. “The first thing that came to my mind was ‘Wow, we had a sub 2-minute day!’ You just don’t see it, especially in Maine.”

McHale said the influx of money from Penn National’s Hollywood Slots racino through taxes into the purse structure for Maine harness racetracks has had a direct effect on the quality of racing in Maine, but that’s not the only factor.

“I think it’s a combination of things,” he said. “We’re getting better horses now than we had years ago. The quality of the track is probably better along with breeding and training methods… I think a lot of things have improved over the years when it comes to racing in Maine.”

Clydesdales come to Scarborough

All the way from St. Louis, the Budweiser Clydesdales are returning to Maine after a six-year absence.

The living symbols of Budweiser beer will be appearing at Scarborough Downs from Tuesday through June 25. The mammoth horses will perform on the track June 23 at 1:30 p.m.

Admission is free both for the racing and the Clydesdales, which will be staying at the track until early Monday morning. They will be available for viewing when they’re not taking part in the La Kermesse Festival in Biddeford.

The Clydesdales, whose breed originated in Scotland during the late 1700s, weigh between 1,800 and 2,300 pounds each, stand at least 6 feet tall at the shoulder, have feet the size of dinner plates, and wear horseshoes measuring more than 20 inches from end to end that weigh five pounds apiece. They consume 20-25 quarts of feed, 50-60 pounds of hay, and 30 gallons of water per day. They are all geldings that are at least 4 years old.

They last visited Scarborough in 2001 and won’t be back in Maine for another five years.

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