Scarborough Downs: Horse racing in Maine 2015

6

summer in maine

Advertising Supplement to the Sun Journal, Lewiston, Maine, Sunday, May 17, 2015

Horse racing: An endless source of family excitement With the endless w inter of 2015 digging its heels in all the way to the starting line, Scarborough Downs, the flagship of the harness racing industr y in Maine, kicked off its 65th season back in March to enthusiastic reviews. Cheering crowds and competitive racing have been the order of the day every weekend since as the season picks up steam on its journey into summer and beyond.

One of the top tourist desti-

nations along the southern Maine sea coast, the Downs races every Friday and Saturday at 4 p.m. with the popular Sunday mat inees going to post at 1:30 p.m. During the high months of June and July, Thursday racing is added to the mix, tempting locals and out-of-state visitors alike, off the beach for a jovial late afternoon session of playing the ponies.

T he Ma i ne Si re Sta kes program revs into high gear

beginning July 2, offering the fans an opportunity to wager on native born racehorses t h r ou g h ou t t h e s u m m e r mont hs. T he state-bred program, a major component of an agricultural industr y that contributes in excess of $ 365-million to t he state’s economy on an annual basis, culminates in the inaugural Day of Champions on Oct. 24, an afternoon when eight divisional championship races will be contested at the Downs for purses totaling well over a

half-million dollars.

Recognized as a family-oriented sport, harness racing will provide the backdrop to the annual Family Fun Day which will be held on Aug. 9, at Scarborough Downs. Children of all ages will be treated to horse-related demonstrations including blacksmithing, training and general care of the standardbred horse with plenty of interactive games mixed in to keep the young ones intrigued. This day will

be a great opportunity to get up close and personal with the horses and drivers who put on the show at the Downs with both equine and human stars available for meet/great and autograph sessions.

The nine-month harness racing season runs from late March until early December providing ample opportunity for everyone to get to the track and cheer their favorites home. Check out the schedule of activities at scarboroughdowns.com

Michael Newman photo

Driver Steve Nason delights a young fan with an autographed trading card on Family Fun Day.

Going to the horse races? Learn how to wager W hen you wager, you a re not betting against the track but against everyone who is making that type of wager i n a pa r t ic u la r race. For example, if you bet a horse to win, your bet goes into the

win pool. Based on how much is wagered on each horse to win, their odds will change accordingly. This is called pari-mutuel wagering, from t he French term mea ning “amongst ourselves.” In this

met hod of wager i ng, t he public is betting against each other, not against the racetrack. In effect, the track has no interest in the results of a race. The track simply deducts a p er c ent a ge f r om e a c h dollar wagered for payment of purses, state ta xes, and expenses. The remainder of the pool (83% on win, place,

and show bets) is returned proportionally to the winners.

In for mat ion is va luable.

Si nce you a re essent ia l ly betting against everyone else, the more educated you are in your wager the better your chance of winning. Read more so that you can feel more confident about your wager by

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Have a great summer in Maine!

Traditional Wagers

be a $6 wager.

Exotic Wagers EXACTA

WIN You win if your horse finishes first.

Picking two horses to finish first and second in exact order.

TRIFECTA

PLACE You win if your horse finishes first or second.

Picking three horses to finish first, second, and third in exact order.

SHOW

SUPERFECTA

May 19 at 6:00 pm vs. Altoona (Pittsburgh Pirates) VOLUNTEER APPRECIATION NIGHT BIKER NIGHT • D.A.R.E. NIGHT

You win if your horse finishes first, second, or third.

Picking four horses to finish first, second, third, and fourth in exact order.

May 20 at 6:00 pm vs. Altoona (Pittsburgh Pirates) All the Hair You Can Spare presented by Bei Capelli & 99.9 The Wolf HARNESS AT HADLOCK sponsored by the Maine Harness Racing Promotion Board

ACROSS THE BOARD

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allowing you to make a more informed decision.

For Tickets Call:

800-936-DOGS or

Order tickets and souvenirs online

www.seadogs.com

May 21 at 6:00 pm vs. Altoona (Pittsburgh Pirates) THROWBACK THURSDAY – CIVIL WAR NIGHT May 22 at 6:00 pm vs. Reading (Philadelphia Phillies) FIREWORKS SHOW after the game made possible by U.S. Cellular May 23 at 1:00 pm vs. Reading (Philadelphia Phillies) May 24 at 1:00 pm vs. Reading (Philadelphia Phillies) SUPERHERO DAY AT HADLOCK with an appearance by CAPTAIN AMERICA May 25 at 1:00 pm vs. Reading (Philadelphia Phillies) “MOMday” courtesy of Sun Tan City

Placing a wager on your horse to win, place, and show. A $2 bet “across the board” would

Races

page 7 ‰

2015 SUMMER SCHEDULE

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summer in maine

Advertising Supplement to the Sun Journal, Lewiston, Maine, Sunday, May 17, 2015

Races

MINIMUM WAGERS

from page 6

DAILY DOUBLE Picking the winners of two races t hat a re desig nated Daily Double races.

Wagers must be placed before the running of the first of the two races.

RACING PICK THREE Picking the winners of three races t hat a re desig nated Raci ng P ick T h ree races.

Wagers must be placed before the running of the first of the three races.

HOW TO BET W hen you v isit a mut uel window, state the following information:

The minimum wagers is $2, except for some mu lt iple combination bets with a $1 m i n i mu m, wh ich w i l l be described later.

MORNING LINE The morning line odds in the program are set by an oddsma ker before t he betting begins. This is an educated guess on how the public will bet on each horse. The odds change as money enters the mutuel pool.

ODDS Win odds are posted on television monitors and the infield tote board. These odds are updated every 45-90 seconds.

Note that these odds will fluctuate from the time you wager until the betting ends. When you win, your payoff is determined by the closing odds.

ENTRY

Name of track Race number Amount you wish to wager Type of wager Horse number E x a m pl e : “ S c a r b o r o u g h Dow ns, sevent h race, t wo dollars to w in on number five.”

ADVANCED WAGERS If you a re ma k i ng a n advanced wager, which would be a race after the upcoming one, state the race number before the wager.

A coupled entry in a race is when t wo or more horses belonging to the same owner, and/or conditioned by the sa me t ra iner, a re deemed “coupled.” t herefore, t he coupled entry is comprised of two or more horses which are a single betting interest.

Example: In a race with a 1 and 1A entry, a bet on 1 is a bet on 1 and 1A.

FIELD A mutuel f ield is required

when there are more than twelve betting interests in the same race. In this case, the Race Secretary “couples” two or more horses, because the number of horses in the race exceeds the number which can be handled separately by the pari-mutuel system.

Betting on one horse in an entry or on one horse in a parimutuel field is considered a bet on all horses in the respective entry or mutuel field.

WHERE TO BET There are mutuel windows located t h roug hout t he facility, in both the Grandst a nd a nd C lub Hou se buildings, and tellers operate the machines located at each of these individual windows.

After saying the track and race number, you state your wagers to the teller and pay t he a mou nt you bet. You will then receive the mutuel ticket(s) showing your wagers.

Please check all tickets prior to leaving a mutuel window!

accept ing.” Vouchers may be purchased at any mutuel w i nd o w t h r ou g h ou t t h e track. Anyone can help you try your hand at a self-service machine. Just ask!

NOVICE BETTORS For those not familiar with wagering, each tel ler line has a desig nated NOV ICE WINDOW to help with how to read the program, placing a bet, and other racing questions. Pamphlets are available at every mutuel line to help the first time bettor. “Pick A W i n ner,” “T he Ha r ness Racing Guide” and “Harness Raci ng 101” a re excel lent resources for the novice handicapper. Simply ask for your copy. The key is to have fun!

This information was supplied

by Scarborough Downs,

Derek Davis photo

Heath Campbell wins the 2014 Sire Stakes Championship with the undefeated Bibbidi Boo.

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SELF-BETTING MACHINES For your convenience and privacy, self-betting machines are located throughout the track. Self-betting machines a re clea rly desig nated a s “voucher on ly ” a nd “bi l l

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