Blanchard stands out in classroom, on track Mount View student posts first racing victory

With a 99.77 grade average that has him first in his class, you’d think Mount View High School senior-to-be Brian Blanchard would be spending his summer sifting through college guides, checking out brochures and dreaming about getting his first car.

Not so.

The 18-year-old Thorndike resident hasn’t had a lot of time for those things because he’s been spending most of his time horsing around.

That time has actually started to pay off for Blanchard and his family as he earned his first win as a harness racing driver Monday night at Northern Maine Fair in Presque Isle.

“I’d always dreamed about my first win, but I never thought it’d happen four races into my career,” said Blanchard. “It [driving] is something I’ve wanted to do since I was a little kid. It just appeals to my competitive nature.”

He won the eight-horse race in impressive fashion.

“The kid raced a great race. He was seventh at the quarter pole, but he really finished strongly,” said fellow rookie driver John Michalowski, who was second at the halfway point and fourth at the three-quarters pole. “I got boxed in and couldn’t get out of it.”

The 49-year-old Michalowski of Presque Isle was one of three rookie drivers in the race. The other was Roger Grant, 39, of Atkinson. Blanchard credited his race strategy for the win.

“I looked at the program coming in and I thought just about everyone would leave pretty hard right out of the gate,” Blanchard said. “I was content to let them set the pace for me because I knew I had a horse [T Farm Zen Fella] who could close pretty well.

“As we hit three-quarters, I pulled my horse out three wide and asked him for all he had, and he gave it to me.”

Bob Blanchard, Brian’s grandfather, might have been the most excited family member afterward. His grandson had won and he pocketed $111 on an across-the-board (win, place and show) bet on Brian.

Blanchard helped train the 5-year-old gelding and his father broke him when he was 3, so he knew the horse very well.

Blanchard, brother Colby and mother Diane help his father Robert run the family business: The Farm Racing Stable and Breeding.

Farms are still more the rule than the exception in the Thorndike area, and the Blanchards’ homestead is no exception. After moving there from Pennsylvania 17 years ago, the Blanchards started up a dairy farm and ran it for 10 years.

Robert Blanchard, who always had workhorses around, started getting more interested in harness racing. He converted the dairy farm into a standardbred breeding and training operation seven years ago.

“I think I get my knack for this from my dad. He’s a real good horseman, which you don’t find many of,” said Brian, who opted to quit playing basketball at Mount View to devote more time to being assistant trainer to his dad and driving.

Robert Blanchard has trained horses for 16 years, raised them for 10, and driven them for six. He’s virtually retired as a driver, so racing against his son is a long shot.

“I suppose it could happen, but the reins have been handed over to me almost exclusively,” said Brian, who finished fourth, fifth and sixth in his first three races. “It’s always been something I’ve wanted to do and he’s been supportive. There was never a question of it being too dangerous for me. I’ve had to pay my dues for quite a while. I’d like to get into harness racing full time if I can.”

He’ll likely spend more time in a sulky the next two months as he plans to race as often as he can on the fair circuit at Topsham, Skowhegan, Union, Windsor and Farmington.

“I hope to get 40 to 45 starts this year. What would be really cool for me is if I start doing well and people start offering me rides,” he said.

Brian had planned to study veterinary sciences but said he may put college on hold to devote more time to driving as a full-time career.

Ladies take reins at Scarborough

Scarborough Downs is hosting Ladies Day at the Races Sunday and one of the 10 races on the card will feature an all-female driver field.

Scarborough is one of 37 harness racing tracks in North America taking part in the Mildred Williams International Driving Series for Lady Drivers, which is similar to the CKG Billings Amateur Driving Classic except that it is limited to female drivers only. It’s intended to provide opportunities for female drivers and try to gain more female fans.

Two of the drivers confirmed to participate in the female-only race are Joey Ayotte of Ontario, Canada, who is the current series leader, and Ann Curran, who is also event coordinator. Eight women will race.

Sunday’s post time is 12:05 p.m. and admission is free. The series race and other ladies day activities will benefit the Maine Chapter of the Susan G. Komen Foundation for the Cure.

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