Scarborough Downs Race Track was a horse-racing track located in Scarborough, Maine, United States. It was Maine's largest race track. It was home to The Downs Club restaurant as well as a grandstand for race viewing, and includes 2 track-side lounges as well as a VIP Room.[1] It held its final races on November 30, 2020.[2]

Scarborough Downs was constructed in 1949 as a racetrack for thoroughbred horse races and was completed in 1950.[3] It was the only one of its kind in the state.[4] Harness racing was introduced in the 1960s and for a while the track hosted both types of horse racing. However, in September 1972 the track became solely a harness racing track.[5] In the 2000s, owner Joseph Ricci, also known for being one of the founders of the infamous Élan School,[6] introduced simulcast wagering and the track began to offer simulcast races from premier thoroughbred and harness tracks from around North America.

On October 1, 1980, a pre-dawn fire at Scarborough Downs, ignited as the result of an overloaded electrical box in a tack room, destroyed a 240-foot barn, killing eleven horses.[7] The track hosted its final race ever on November 28, 2020, due to an agreement with developer Mike Cianchette, great-nephew of former Bangor and Lewiston Track Owner Bud Cianchette.[8] The racing meet will move to Cumberland Fairgrounds which has held long meets before, with the expectation it will be full-time horse racing course by 2022. The 2021 season at Cumberland will be 64 days long total including 2021 fair First Tracks LLC got state approval and a license on February 8, 2021.

MaineHealth has been using the facility as a COVID-19 vaccine distribution site since February 2021.[9]

References

  1. ↑ Scarborough Downs official website
  2. ↑ Warner, Pete (30 November 2020). "Scarborough Downs harness racing track shuts down after 70 years". Bangor Daily News.
  3. ↑ Portland Press Herald - September 10, 2000
  4. ↑ The Day (New London, Connecticut) - March 8, 1971
  5. ↑ Boston Globe - November 16, 1989
  6. ↑ Writer, DWIGHT F. BLINT; Courant Staff. "JOSEPH RICCI'S CAREER AND CONTROVERSY". courant.com. Retrieved 2021-09-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. ↑ The Palm Beach Post - October 1, 1980
  8. ↑ The Maine Attraction
  9. ↑ Andrews, Caitlin (January 21, 2021). "Recently closed Scarborough Downs will house Maine's first large-scale vaccine clinic". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved April 18, 2021.

43°35′59.52″N 70°21′7.44″W / 43.5998667°N 70.3520667°W / 43.5998667; -70.3520667


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