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Scarborough Downs, Maine’s Former Thoroughbred Track, to Be Razed

Another link to New England’s horse racing history will go dark this month, soon to be razed for development: Scarborough Downs on the southern Maine seacoast confirmed it will host its final Standardbred program Nov. 28, ending 70 years of horse racing at the venue that first opened as a one-mile Thoroughbred track in 1950.

The Portland Press Herald first reported the news, although the track’s demise had been signaled by a purchase two years ago by developers who have been rebuilding over adjacent property while letting the harness operators lease the track for racing and simulcasting.

The Press Herald reported the 2018 purchase price as $6.7 million. For comparison, the original ownership that founded Scarborough Downs paid $600 for marshland that the town of Scarborough had no other use for back in 1950.

“A scenic background of towering pine, spruce and fir make the track a real beauty spot, and while a few rough edges will have to be polished before it is completed, Scarborough Downs, with its natural beauty, seems destined to become one of New England’s popular tracks,” the Boston Globe reported on the eve of the grand opening.

Scarborough was a pioneer in Thoroughbred night racing in New England right from its first season, trying to capitalize on giving beach tourists something to do after dark on summer evenings.

But the track struggled to attract meaningful handle right from the start, and Maine’s strong Standardbred interests soon took the track to court to try and ban Thoroughbreds from competing under the lights against the evening harness meets (it briefly worked, but the ruling was eventually overturned). The track added Standardbreds in 1969, ran dual breeds at different meets, then ceased Thoroughbred racing on Labor Day, 1972.

The harness oval was downsized from a mile to a half-mile in 1973, although the Thoroughbred track is still visible in outline. Barn fires in 1980 and 1982 killed 14 horses, and the original clubhouse was consumed in a 1983 blaze. The record attendance for the Maine track was on June 29, 1980, when a crowd of 9,133 showed up to get autographs from Lou Ferrigno, the actor who portrayed “The Incredible Hulk.”

The Press Herald reported Thursday that “After Scarborough Downs stopped night racing in 2007 because the light posts had to be removed after the hub rail was removed for safety reasons, the crowds thinned even more. The grandstand fell into disrepair and was eventually closed to fans and the entire facility had a rundown look.”

Although harness racing in Maine is not high profile, it is rich in tradition (a Grand Circuit attraction on “kite” tracks in the early 20th Century) and it is still comprised of nine stops: Bangor Raceway (a racino), plus August-through-October county fair meets at Northern Maine Fair, Topsham, Skowhegan, Union, Windsor, Farmington, Cumberland, and Fryeburg.

The Press Herald reported that “Members of the harness racing community said the closing of Scarborough Downs could lead to a brighter future for the harness racing industry, mentioning that an unspecified group has begun plans to build a harness racing facility elsewhere in southern Maine, an important part of the state for harness racing because of its population base.”

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Paul Williams Named 1/ST Technology’s CEO

Officials at 1/ST announced Friday that Paul Williams, who has been with The Stronach Group since 2018 as Chief Technology Officer, has been appointed to the dual roles of 1/ST TECHNOLOGY’s Chief Executive Officer and 1/ST’s Chief Technology Officer. Williams will work directly with 1/ST RACING and 1/ST CONTENT to amplify the company’s programs. He will lead the consolidation of 1/ST’s digital businesses to drive revenue for AmTote, Xpressbet, 1/ST BET, and others. In addition, Williams will also continue to build on the internal and external IT infrastructure that is currently in place at 1/ST.

“As we look to the future of Thoroughbred horse racing and to gaming in general, the opportunities for expansion and innovation are endless,” said Williams. “By structuring the 1/ST TECHNOLOGY, 1/ST RACING, and 1/ST CONTENT businesses as congruent brands, we will be able to offer our customers world-class racing and gaming products that reflect the new era in our sport.”

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Canadian HOTY Title Likely To Be Decided Saturday at Woodbine

While the U.S. Horse of the Year race was all but decided when Authentic (Into Mischief) won the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic Nov. 7, the race for the Canadian title remains wide open entering a Saturday card at Woodbine that will feature the four top contenders for the year-end honor.

The sentimental favorite is the 8-year-old Pink Lloyd (Old Forester), but he will face one of the toughest tests in his career when he goes in the GII Kennedy Road S. A loss could open the door for 3-year-olds Belichick (Lemon Drop Kid) and Mighty Heart (Dramedy), who, combined, swept the Canadian Triple Crown races for trainer Josie Carroll.

Starship Jubilee (Indy Wind), who beat males in the GI Woodbine Mile, may be the best horse who was based at Woodbine this year, but she is not eligible for the Sovereign Awards because she hasn’t met the minimum requirement of having three starts in Canada this year.

The Kennedy Road will be the last start this year for Pink Lloyd, who, at age 8, hasn’t slowed down. He is 4-for-4 on the year and remains one of the most popular horses in recent years in Canada.

“At his age, 99% of the horses take a step back,” said trainer Bob Tiller. “There are horses running in $8,000 claimers that he ran against as a 4-year-old. That he’s still at that level at this age is unbelievable. He’s from outer space. He loves running and is just a very happy horse.”

Pink Lloyd is 26 for 31 lifetime and has not lost a race since 2018, but rarely has he faced the type of field that will line up against him in the six-furlong Kennedy Road. The biggest threat may come from Ride a Comet (Candy Ride {Arg}). Trained by Mark Casse and the winner of the 2018 GII Del Mar Derby, he returned after a 25-month layoff to win a Woodbine allowance Oct. 16.

“Ride a Comet is an extremely, extremely talented horse,” Casse said. “I was very impressed with his first race in over two years. I thought it was a tremendous race. He won with ease. This race is a little shorter than he prefers, but we’ve got to give him a shot. He’s had a couple of injuries along the way, but he’s very healthy now. If he can stay healthy, he will be a horse to be reckoned with throughout North America, not just Woodbine, in 2021.”

Silent Poet (Silent Name {Jpn}) is another Kennedy Road starter who could easily spring the upset. He is 4-for-5 on the year and has won the GII Nearctic S. and the GII Connaught Cup, but has little experience on a synthetic surface. Should he win the Kennedy Road, he may also be in the mix for Horse of the Year.

“This is certainly one of the toughest fields our horse has ever faced,” Tiller said. “There have been two or three other times where it looked like he might be in trouble and he got it done. But this is a tough race, a salty race. There’s no question about that. There are two very good horse in there that he has to beat. (Silent Poet) is a very, very good horse. He’s done all his winning on the turf, but ran respectfully on (Tapeta) when he tried it and I think he’s a better horse now than he was then. I totally respect him. The race for (Ride a Comet) the other day was awesome. I very much respect him.”

Pink Lloyd will carry 128 pounds, two more than Silent Poet and seven more than Ride a Comet.

Mighty Heart, a one-eyed horse, won the first two legs of the Canadian Triple Crown, the Queens Plate S. and the Prince of Wales S. only to come up well short in the final leg, the Breeders’ S. on the grass. He finished seventh that day, beaten 20 1/4 lengths after getting hooked up in an early pace battle with a 101-1 shot. Carroll has since replaced jockey Daisuke Fukumoto with Woodbine’s second leading rider, Rafael Hernandez. That may help and so, too, could the return to the Tapeta surface. Mighty Heart has run poorly in his two career tries on the grass.

But the Breeders’ S. was not a lost race for Carroll, who won it with the rapidly improving Belichick. Still a maiden entering the 12-furlong race, he won by four lengths. The main question for him Saturday will be the turn back in distance to a mile-and-an eighth for the GIII Ontario Derby.

Both Mighty Heart and Belichick will be facing open company after going through the Canadian Triple Crown races, which are restricted to Canadian-breds.

“It’s a pretty tough race,” Carroll said. “It’s not just the two of them. There are some pretty nice horses in there and it’s a solid race. Both of my horses came out of their last race in really good order so there was no reason not to go on with them.”

The main threats include Field Pass (Lemon Drop Kid), a Mike Maker-trained horse who won the GIII Jeff Ruby Steaks S. in his lone try on a synthetic surface and has since won the GIII Transylvania S. Casse will be represented by Lucky Curlin (Curlin), who is coming off a second-place finish in the Toronto Cup S.

“When it comes to Horse of the Year, there are some deserving horses,” Carroll said. “If Mighty Heart were to win this race after winning the two Triple Crown races, I think he’d be a pretty legitimate contender. If Belichick wins, I am not sure the voters would think he had accomplished enough. We’ll see.”

Pink Lloyd was named Canadian Horse of the Year in 2017. Last year, despite going 6-for-6, he was nosed out by Starship Jubilee.

No horse older than six has ever been named Horse of the Year in Canada and if it’s going to happen this year Pink Lloyd will have to turn in one of the best races of his career on Saturday.

“It’s always a tough vote,” Tiller said. “They are all good horses. What happens here this week will decide a lot. Our horse is undefeated as an 8-year-old and is an unbelievably special horse. But I always feel that you have to respect any horse that does great things. Mighty Heart is a very good horse. He certainly deserves to win it. We have to go out there on Saturday and do it. I am very confident that he will run a huge race.”

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Free Pedigree Seminar presented by Indiana Thoroughbred Alliance Dec. 5

The Indiana Thoroughbred Alliance (ITA)–a newly founded group dedicated to helping educate, inspire and support those interested in the Indiana horse racing industry–will present “Pedigree Research and Purposeful Pedigrees,” with guest speaker Robert Keck, bloodstock consultant at Kentucky’s Crestwood Farm, on Saturday, Dec. 5.

The event, open to anyone interested in breeding Thoroughbreds, is the first in a series of activities the ITA will host in the coming months, all aimed at helping to educate breeders and those looking to get into breeding.

Susan Burger, a longtime broodmare manager and now owner of Indiana’s Ledgerwood Farm, is the co-vice president of the ITA, and organizer of the seminar.

“The ITA wanted to open up the avenue of continuing education for the breeders of Indiana,” Burger said. “We want to help breeders, and those interested in getting into breeding, to learn what they need to look for when it comes to booking a stallion to their mare, or even purchasing a broodmare.”

The seminar will be held at the Painted Hills Clubhouse in Martinsville, Indiana, starting at 1 p.m. ET. Registration is free and refreshments will be provided.

For more information on the seminar, visit the ITA website at http://indianaTB.org.

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