Full week of harness racing planned at fair
PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Harness racing begins at the Northern Maine Fair on Friday evening, July 29, 2016. Post time for this evening will be at 6 p.m. In addition to regular trotters and pacers, the Maine Standardbred Breeders and Owners Association has scheduled four legs of the Maine State Sires Stakes.
The first series will be held on opening night with the 2016 2-Year-Old Filly Pacers. The top 2-year-old pacer to date is Meadow Rosebud, owned by Lorraine O’Connor of Bedford, Mass. Her filly has taken two out of six races to date. After six divisions have raced, four different fillies have won a division.
The fastest mile so far was by Pembroke Perfect, who paced the mile at Bangor Raceway in 2:01.1. She is owned by William Varney of Bangor.
On Monday evening, the 3-Year-Old Pacers come to town. With six divisions raced at Bangor and Scarborough tracks, two horses are tied for first — Ball Don’t Lie, owned by Ben Bill and Will Stables, and Seeley Man, owned by Kevin Sywyk, Ben Bill and Will Stable and Florence O’Keefe. Ball Don’t Lie has won in 1.57.4 and Seeley Man paced in 1.57.
Next Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons, racing will have a post time of 2 p.m. On Aug. 3, the 2-Year-Old Colt Trotters and Fillies will race. Both divisions raced at Scarborough Downs on July 24 with 2-year-old Filly Trotter Pembroke Conifer winning. She is owned by William Varney and Lynn-Marie Plouffe and also has won three of four races to date.
In the 2-Year-Old Colt Trotters, King Cast won his third race in the time of 2.02.3, so far the fastest in that series. King Cast is owned by Thomas Dillon and Walter Hight.
Racing on Thursday, Aug. 4 has a post time of 6 p.m. On the program will be the division of 2-Year-Old Pacers. Their last start was at Bangor on July 18 and leading presently are Dellis John, owned by Michael Huff, and Prince of the Forest, owned by KDK Standardbreds. Only a few points separate the two as they have each won two divisions. Prince of the Forest paced a mile in 1:59.3 on July 28. A division will race in Scarborough prior to the Northern Maine Fair.
Regular racing will be held at 2 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 5.
Racing officials are: Lynwood Winslow, director of racing; Frank Hall, presiding judge; Todd Bradley and Ronald Merrill, associate judges; Ken Sumner, race secretary; and Pat Merrill, program director.
