by Jack Ginnetti

Marlborough, MA — Maine’s Bangor Historic Track opens its harness racing season on Sunday (April 22) with a 1:30 p.m. call to post.

The historic raceway will feature 54 programs this season and its April dates following Sunday’s opening card are April 26 and 27 (7:00 p.m. post), and April 29 at 1:30 p.m., according to Fred Nichols, general manager.

The track will stage 10 race dates in May, 17 in June and 12 in July before finishing its meeting with eight programs in October and on November 1, 3, and 4.

Bangor native and amateur driver Bill Varney has two horses entered on Sunday’s opening card.

“I can’t wait for the season to get underway,” Varney said Friday. The highly successful Maine car dealer and horseman will have a string of Standardbreds racing throughout the Bangor, Scarborough and Maine fair circuit again this year.

Varney is a past recipient of a president’s achievement award presented by the New England Harness Writers at its Hall of Fame awards program in 2005.

Harness racing has been conducted at Bangor’s Bass Park since 1893 and once was a part of racing’s Grand Circuit during the roaring twenties. The track’s infield has been the site of many historic events including the first airplane flight in Maine, the great Transatlantic Balloon Race and the Bangor State Fair, which will be held this year from July 27 to August 5.

The late Ken Ward, whose column ‘Railbird’ appeared weekly in the Bangor Daily News, was a member of the New England Harness Writers and once paraded Nihilator over the track’s historic oval. Ken was a resident of nearby Brewer, Maine, who gave many volunteer hours towards the track’s upkeep. He and his family also operated a starting gate business known throughout Maine as ‘the Maine Gate.’