Fryeburg Fair closed out the Maine fair racing circuit almost two weeks ago and it’s now time to start up the 2001 harness racing date hearing process. All race date requests for 2001 are in the racing office and Henry Jackson, executive director of the Maine Harness Racing Commission, said this week date hearings are scheduled Nov. 15 and Nov. 16, if an additional day is needed, in Augusta.

All pending live race date applications are unofficial until final approval is certified by the racing commission. Scarborough Downs’ extended meet date application asks for 192 racing dates in 2001, beginning March 2 and ending Dec. 29.

Scarborough Downs is requesting opening racing days in March on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and adding an additional race day each month through early summer. Scarborough Downs is the only track operating live racing in Maine, racing three-day weekends with a scheduled closing date of Tuesday, Dec. 26, according to a Scarborough spokesperson.

Bangor Historic Park (Bangor Raceway) has submitted a race date request for 30 days in 2001, one more day than in 2000. If approved by the commission, Bangor would begin live racing on Sunday, May 20, and race a Sunday and Wednesday schedule in May; Sunday, Wednesday and Friday in June and July; while adding Saturday, July 21, before its last race day on Sunday, July 22.

Agricultural fair race requests are pretty much in line with last year, according to Ralph Canney, director of live racing for the racing commission. Agricultural fair dates are issued in five-year increments by the Maine Association of Agricultural Fairs and the racing commission observes the MAAF dates when allocating dates to Maine’s racing fairs.

Maine harness racing’s parimutuel handle showed some improvement in 2000. The totals for Maine’s eight racing fairs and one completed extended meet indicate an overall betting increase of 3.39 percent. In 1999, the handle for the racing fairs and Bangor Raceway amounted to $3,662,591. In 2000, it rose by $128,327 to $3,780,918.

In 2000, five racing fairs showed increases, three fairs showed decreases and Bangor Raceway’s extended meet figures also show an increase in handle. Final parimutuel figures for Scarborough Downs and off-track wagering locations will not be available until early January.

The following parimutuel figures were supplied by the Department of Agriculture’s harness racing commission office. Listed are the live handles for 1999 and 2000, the increase or decrease between the two years and the percentage of difference: Bangor Historic Park (Bangor Raceway) handled $415,454 in 1999 and $515,229 in 2000, for a gain of $99,775 or a 19.37 percent increase. However, Bangor raced three more days in 2000 than in 1999, making this year almost a break even year with 1999.

Northern Maine Fair in Presque Isle had a 1999 parimutuel handle of $117,748 and $110,200 in 2000, a decrease of $7,548 or -6.85 percent. Dick Duncan, NMF director of racing, attributed the shortfall to competition from Woodstock’s Old Home Week racing at Connell Park in Canada.

“We probably lost close to $20,000 that night,” Duncan said.

Topsham Fair was one of the bright spots this year, increasing its parimutuel handle by $38,662, from $150,300 in 1999 to $188,962 this year, for a 20.46 percent increase.

Skowhegan Fair also increased its handle by 4.69 percent, from $322,308 in 1999 to $338,167 in 2000, an increase of $15,859 in additional parimutuel revenues.

Union Fair suffered the biggest loss of any Maine fair this year and also dealt with some of the summer’s worst weather. Its parimutuel handle slipped some $39,650, from $274,045 in 1999 to $234,395 in 2000, a 16.92 percent drop. Barry Norris, director of racing at Union, said his fair lost one day of racing because of rain.

Windsor Fair’s parimutuel handle took a slight dip, dropping by $25,378, or 2.93 percent. Still one of the top grossing parimutuel fairs in the state, Windsor handled $892,218 in 1999 and $866,840 in 2000.

Farmington Fair increased its extended meet day and regular racing program this year. On its extended Saturday, Farmington increased its handle by 8.31 percent from $44,431 in 1999 to $48,460 in 2000. For its fair race meet, the parimutuel figures were up a whopping 15.38 percent, from $232,722 to $275,022, a $43,300 increase.

Cumberland’s extended meet day dipped by 9.65 percent or $4,629, from $52,591 in 1999 to $47,962 in 2000. However, its fair racing increased slightly (.18 percent) or $552, from $302,814 in 1999 to $303,366 in 2000.

And Fryeburg Fair which consistently outhandles every other Maine agricultural fair, showed another slight increase this year, a .51 percent increase of $4,355 from $847,960 in 1999 to $852,315 for six days of racing.