Track records expected to fall Sunday

Sunday promises to proceed at a very quick pace – and trot as well – at Bangor Raceway.

Three big races with very big purses have attracted Bass Park’s best racing fields this season and Bangor race secretary Fred Nichols expects two track records to fall.

The 10-race program starts with a 1:30 post time, but one of the other day’s traditional highlights will begin at 12:40 p.m. with the annual Shriners’ Parade at the track.

The program’s fastest portion will start with the seventh race as eight horses vie for the Shrine Trot’s $10,000 purse.

Co-holders of Bangor Raceway’s trot record (1 minute, 58.2 seconds) – 4-year-old stallion Kerogen and 6-year-old mare Abby C – are the favorites.

“This is the best field of talent we’ve ever assembled here in a trot race,” said Nichols.

Kerogen, owned by Lou Hayden, trained by Wendy Ireland, and driven by Kim Ireland, has won his last six races and has a season-best time of 1:56.2.

Abby C, owned by John Brophy of Castine and trained by Sean Nye, will be driven by Joey Mosher. Her best time this season is the track record, set a week before Kerogen tied it. The two horses raced head to head in Bangor June 29. Kerogen won the race after Abby C broke (went off stride).

The other horses and some of their best times are 8-year-old gelding Lemon Pepper (1:58.0), 7-year-old gelding Kiwi Demand (1:58.1), 4-year-old stallion Tiki Time (1:58.4), 7-year-old mare Snap Dancer, 10-year-old gelding Stars Photo, and 5-year-old mare Black Chip Winner.

The $10,830 Sire Stakes 3-year-old colts pace follows with a 10-horse field. The field is smaller for the $20,000 Paul Bunyan Invitational Pace, but much faster.

Defending champ Chewy Gross, an 8-year-old gelding out of Pocono Downs, New York driven by Heath Campbell, ran 1:53.4 in the mud last year. The track record is 1:53.3, set by Lorryland Butler July 23, 1995.

The race favorite is Our First Falcon, a 7-year-old gelding owned by Brophy and both trained and driven by Ron Cushing. His best time is 1:50.4.

Yankee Anthem, whose home track is Bangor, is a 6-year-old mare with a PR of 1:53.3. She’ll be driven by Drew Campbell. O’Rourke Three, a 6-year-old gelding owned by Scott Dillon of Anson, has a 1:53.2 PR. Trained by Dick Bartlett, he’ll be driven by grandson Jason Bartlett.

Daylon Trooper is coming from Yonkers, N.Y., to race and will be driven by Joey Mosher. The 6-year-old stallion, whose best time is 1:53.1, has $958,702 in lifetime earnings.