The County Raceway opens tonight for 10 nights of extended meet racing at Northern Maine Raceway in Presque Isle.

With Bangor under way, Scarborough Downs adding Thursday nights to its racing schedule and County coming on line, the demand on Maine’s already tight horse supply is tremendous.

If it wasn’t for Canadian racing stock, both County and Bangor would be in tough shape. More than half of the horses and drivers racing at Presque Isle and Bangor are from Canada. It just wouldn’t be possible to race without them.

Bangor Raceway will race three nine-dash programs this weekend starting tonight. Saturday’s racing card features the $4,500 final of The Future Stars Series.

The first leg was raced May 31 in two divisions, with Marc Mosher and Elly Grady’s 3-year-old Albert-Albert filly, Weekend Surprise, winning in 2:02.3. The second division winner was Hurricane Nikway and Shawn Gray, hitting the finish line first in 2:01.

Last week, Steve Mahar drove Blue Angel, a 4-year-old Chatham Light mare, to the magic mark of 2 minutes to win the second leg of the late closer for owners Nelson Emery and Neal McCurdy of Kingfield. They all return for Saturday’s final.

Sunday’s CanAm Challenge at Bangor Raceway was canceled, according to secretary Fred Nichols, because it did not fill. “We started the week with eight entries and on Thursday, it was pared down to four. That’s just not enough,” Nichols said.

Bangor Raceway picks up an additional race day on Tuesday, June 24, increasing its racing schedule to four days each week through the end of its extended meet on July 20. A new wrinkle being added to the Tuesday races is a supplemental purse of $100 available to owners and trainers who are members of Down East Harness Horsemen’s Association.

County Raceway secretary Doug Thompson said classifying the fields is somewhat easier this time around than in years past. Thompson was pleasantly surprised when he opened the declaration box for Friday’s program and found he had 54 entries to classify for tonight’s opener.

For Friday’s program, Thompson has put together eight races with no double dashes. “A lot of racing fans don’t like wagering on double dashes,” Thompson said.

“Compared to opening night last year, when our first four live races were repeated to make the full eight dashes required by the racing commission, tonight’s program should make fans and bettors happy. There are no repeats, only single dashes,” he said.

County Raceway will race five Fridays, observing a 7:30 p.m. post time, and pick up a second race day on Tuesdays, beginning July 15, for three weeks leading into Northern Maine Fair.

Presque Isle has benefited this year because Fredericton Raceway in New Brunswick is not racing its extended meet. More than two dozen horses from the Fredericton area have either moved into the Presque Isle barns or are trucking in to race at County, along with other regular Canadian area horses and drivers.

Some familiar names to both Canadian and northern Maine fans who are now racing at County are: Mike Campbell, a leading driver at Frederiracing at County are: Mike Campbell, a leading driver at Fredericton; Chet Eatmon, Jimmy Smith, the father and son team of Gordon and Mark Collett; and other Canadian drivers now join the regular driving community at County Raceway.

They join regulars Ray Ireland, Richard Parker, Jim Brown, Ken Hafford Jr., Jimmy Shaw and Carty Rose and others. Also, Kim Ireland and Dirk Duncan will drive the Friday night programs.

Protecting the public’s interest, perched high above the racetrack, are: John Churchill, presiding judge; and Jerry Hirsh and John Oldmixon, associate judges.

And at 7:30 p.m., when the starting car speeds through the turn and down the stretch and track announcer Dick Ross says `they’re off,’ live racing will have returned to Aroostook County.

If, for some reason, you can’t get to the Presque Isle races Friday night or want to see the races again, the local Time-Warner cable company will record the races and televise them at 7 p.m. every Sunday on local Channel 9, courtesy of the Maine Harness Racing Promotion Board and the efforts of Ross, and Katherine Ralston of Scarborough Downs.

PACING BITS – The Maine and New England racing community was saddened this week by the death of longtime horseman and Presque Isle native, John Hafford. He was a trainer-driver and member of a racing family that has raced Standardbred horses for generations all over New England. Our condolences to his mother, Dolly, his sons, Robert and Scott, and his daughter, Lori.