by Michael Sweeney, for Scarborough Downs

Scarborough, ME — Scarborough Downs will swing open it’s gates for the 68th consecutive year on Saturday (March 31) welcoming the multitudes of fans and horses back to the track and heralding the start of the 2018 harness racing season in Maine.

The Downs will open the race meet on a two-day a week schedule, racing Saturday and Sunday afternoon cards with a post time of 1:30 p.m. (EDT).

The response to opening weekend has been exceptionally keen among the harness racing community this season with 170 horses entered in to race this week, resulting in full fields and 10 race programs carded for both Saturday and Sunday’s performances.

Admission to the races is once again free of charge at the Downs and with a seasonally warm and sunny day forecast for Saturday, the fans will have ample opportunity to witness the excitement and pageantry of harness racing from a close-up, rail-bird’s seat.

Featured alongside the harness races themselves, drawings for fun prizes will be conducted throughout the afternoon on Saturday with one lucky patron set to walk away with a free betting voucher good for $100 worth of wagers.

In addition to a season full of top harness racing action, the track is pleased to promote exciting events all season long. The Kentucky Derby, which falls on May 5 this year, is the Downs’ biggest party of the year, while the $25,000 Mid-Summer Classic, scheduled for July 14, will attract and locally showcase the finest horses in New England.

The Maine Sire Stakes program will once again anchor the action at the Downs this summer as the regal Maine-bred pacers and trotters launch their season-long campaigns beginning on June 23, culminating in the Festival of Champions on Oct. 13 where they will be racing for championship glory and combined purses that will exceed $500,000.

The local harness racing season, packed with heart pounding excitement and the chance to win big, gets underway as the bugler sounds the first “Call to Post” at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Get Back to the Track to experience it all!

Scarborough Downs will proudly feature live harness racing on Saturday and Sunday at 1:30 p.m. (EDT) through the month of April.

For more information, visit www.ScarboroughDowns.com or visit our Facebook page.