It has been very disappointing and frustrating for us all that the opening day of racing had to be pushed back at all let alone three times. Bangor Raceway representatives, the state racing steward, the Executive Director of the MHHA and some of their board members have been physically reviewing track conditions daily and have been in constant contact regarding the condition of the track and as a group it was agreed that the condition of the track presented potential safety issues that could have put both drivers and horses at risk. As a group, it was decided that safety was the first priority and not to put either at risk. 

Bangor Raceway personnel have been working the track diligently using suggestions from most all concerned (when not contradictory to each other) to try to resolve the trouble spots in the track for the past few weeks. While the track condition improved because of our efforts, it simply did not improve enough. However, the warm dry weather has been very helpful in improving conditions significantly these past few days. 

We also contacted our corporate Vice President of Racing, Chris McErlean for assistance. He contacted Mr. Mike Fagliarone from Freehold track to assist us with this issue. Mr. Fagliarone has been in constant contact with our track personnel and has made recommendations that we have implemented immediately.  

Mr. McErlean and Mr. Fagliarone are flying in Sunday and will be here Sunday and Monday to look at the track first hand and provide assistance. At Mr. Fagliarone’s request, we ordered materials and equipment to further work the track when he gets here. We will also discuss track preparation in the fall for winter to see if the current condition can be avoided and review overall track conditions. 

I hope you can see, we have not been taking this issue lightly or sitting idly by. We are all concerned and feel very badly that racing days have been missed. We were all dealt a bad hand and Bangor Raceway has made and will continue to make every effort to turn it around. We appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding as we get through these challenging circumstances together. 

We will be applying for make up race days in the fall. 

Best Regards,