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Sunday, July 11, 2004
All bets are on
Copyright © 2004 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc. | ||||||||||||||
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Also on this page: HARNESS RACING BASICS | |||||||||||||
BANGOR — Talk of slot machines is more likely to be heard in the stables than the grandstand at Bangor Raceway this season. Those who come to watch harness racing here each summer already are fans and don't need machines like "Wheel of Fortune" to attract them. They love the competition of racing, being outside on a July night, or just having something to do. Lewis Webster, 82, has not missed a day of racing this year. He came up from Penobscot last week to sit on the hard wooden benches with other retirees and mark off the winning horses in his race program. "Once in a while I will buy a (betting) ticket or two. Not too often," Webster said. But past the grandstand, the promise of slot machines has created a new optimism for grooms in the stables, drivers preparing their sulkies, and horse owners leaning on a chain-link fence along the homestretch. A vote last fall approving slots at Maine's commercial racetracks has changed the outlook at this 111-year-old raceway, after years of financial struggle. Yet the revenue from slots will also pose a challenge. The larger purses are expected to attract competition from out-of-state horses. That will force racing regulators to take steps to protect Maine horse owners, so the profits from slots aren't carted out of state. "It is going to be big. It is going to be wonderful," said Joley-Ann DaFonte of Presque Isle, as she held the reins of a horse getting ready to race. DaFonte, who races her three horses in Bangor until late July and then at Maine's agricultural fairs later in the summer and fall, said the mood has been different at the track this summer due to the possibility of slots. There is added interest in racing, and more people are talking about buying horses. "An entirely different attitude. I have heard no grumbling," said Floyd Rounds, a horse owner from Embden. The raceway reports an increased interest in its 27-day season. Fred Nichols, general manager of the track, said attendance, wagering and the number of horses coming to Bangor to race is up this year. He estimates there is a 20 percent increase in attendance based on race programs sales. The track does not charge admission, so there is no daily head count. "It is still not a viable business without those slots," said Nichols, seated in the empty grandstand last week before a night of racing. A NIGHT AT THE TRACK The track averaged 800 fans a day last year, according to the U.S. Trotting Association, eclipsing daily attendance at many of the country's other small harness tracks, including Scarborough Downs. But the track's purses are some of the worst in the United States, and the handle - track terminology for the amount of money bet - ranks poorly. On a recent Wednesday night, it was easy to see why only $723,000 was bet at the track last year. Racing at times seemed like just an excuse to sit outside and chat with friends. A father read the racing program as his young daughter squirmed on his lap. Several retirees cheered on horses, holding tickets for $1 bets in their hands. A clerk at one of the betting windows did a word search as she waited for a customer. Nichols described the summer race season, which runs from May to July, as a social event for the city and a place to come for people living in the rural surrounding communities. A MATTER OF PURSES Luke Heber, 24, and his younger bother Tyler, 18, made their first trip to the track last Wednesday. They started betting on horses this year because of a fascination with Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Smarty Jones. They had been to a nearby off-track betting parlor, but wanted to see the real thing. The Heber brothers, however, were an exception in the crowd of about 300 people. It was dominated by senior citizens and people with connections to horse racing. Because of the shrinking crowds and handles in past years, purses at Bangor have remained low, averaging $1,874 per race last year, according to the trotting association. This amount becomes even more meager because the purse is split among the first five horses in a race, on a scale ranging from 50 percent for the winner down to 5 percent for the fifth-place horse. Revenue from the slots will change that, and in turn, save harness racing in Maine, industry officials said. One percent of the estimated $824.5 million total expected to be wagered on the slots would supplement harness racing purses. Industry officials said that will draw more horses to Bangor to race and increase the number of race days. Nichols predicted racing from March to November in the future, an enclosed grandstand and a much higher quality of racing in Maine. The same revenue will be pumped into Scarborough Downs and state agricultural fairs, which also will see their purses benefit from the slot revenue, industry officials said. Nichols noted, however, that steps may have to be taken to ensure that Maine horse owners who have struggled through the decline of harness racing reap the benefits of larger purses. Bigger purses will draw horses from New York, Delaware and other elite spots. The key, Nichols explained, is to find a way for Mainers to compete for the first few years until they can catch up to the quality of horses run in other states. One way to ensure Mainers will benefit from the increased pursues is through the sire stake races in which only horses bred in Maine are allowed to race. THE FUTURE OF HARNESS RACING The chance to race for higher purses and on more days would be a welcome relief for people like Michael Andrew, a farmer in Gorham who owns horses named Conductors Time Out and Moving to Glory. Andrew said a horse costs an owner about $12,000 a year, from veterinarian to blacksmith bills. Higher purses would help owners continue racing, in turn allowing drivers, trainers and feed providers to keep their jobs. The larger payouts would also means Andrew and other farmers can keep their land. Without the prospect of a more successful brand of racing in Maine, Michael said he would sell his farm in Gorham village to developers. Voters responded to the plight of the industry when they approved a measure last November allowing the creation of so-called racinos, if residents in host communities approved. Bangor voters backed slots in their city. A similar measure failed in communities surrounding Maine's other commercial harness racing track, Scarborough Downs. But the fact that not one of the projected 1,500 slots has been installed yet in Bangor has made some in the racing community leery about the future. This spring, state lawmakers and Penn National Gaming, the owner of Bangor Raceway and the would-be racino operator, were locked in a conflict over how the slot revenue would be divided. The caused some in the industry to question the commitment of the Pennsylvania-based gaming company to the track. In addition, the state is engaged in the cumbersome process of writing regulations to monitor all aspects of the slots, from security to auditing. The Gambling Control Advisory Council has starting working on these rules and hopes to finish by Sept. 30. "I am just scared this could get dragged out into a long battle," said Gerald "Butch" Mackenzie Jr., president of the Maine Harness Horseman's Association. OWNER'S BIG PLANS D. Eric Schippers, vice president of public affairs for Penn National, said the company is committed to moving forward in Bangor. Right now, it is concentrating on working with the city to come up with a development plan for the track, while monitoring the work of the advisory council, he said. "We are looking forward to revitalizing the Bangor Raceway," Schippers said. The company got a huge boost last week in its home state, where Gov. Edward G. Rendell signed a bill that legalizes up to 61,000 slots. Penn National owns two racetracks in Pennsylvania. This new market, however, will not affect the company's work in Bangor, Schippers said. Early plans for the project in Bangor call for as much as $50 million investment by Penn National. This would include an 80,000- to 100,000-square-foot building for slot machines across a parking lot from the raceway's grandstand. There also are plans for a parking garage and a possible hotel and convention center. Penn National hopes to start construction within the next 12 to 18 months, depending on the speed at which regulations are written, Schippers said. Staff Writer Mark Peters can be contacted at 791-6325 or at:
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