Scarborough, Maine – The Joseph Ricci Memorial – New England’s premier trotting event – is set to get underway on Sunday (July 27) at Scarborough Downs under a brand new and expanded format that will feature two $10,000 elimination legs leading up to the rich $50,000 final scheduled for August 9th.
A mainstay on the southern Maine harness calendar, The Ricci Memorial has traditional been contested as an invitational reserved for local trotters only but has been opened up to all comers this season in hopes of attracting some nationally recognized trotting talent.
“We’re basically looking for three-year-olds and up – Open level trotters” said Scarborough Race Secretary Joe Figiulo, “We’ve had inquiries from up and down the eastern seaboard. We won’t know what we’ll get until we open the box on Tuesday morning but we’re hoping for two or three divisions for each leg of the eliminations.”
The $10,000 elimination legs will be carded on July 27 and August 3 with the $50,000 final to be held on August 9 over Scarborough Downs’ recently renovated racetrack which has been the sight of numerous state and track records this season.
“The track is in great shape” said Scarborough spokesperson Susan Higgins, “Preparations have been made and we’re confident that we’ll attract a pretty nice class of trotter for our marquee event. Scarborough Downs is ideally situated along Maine’s southern coastline – what better place to race in mid-summer than at our seaside oval?”
There are no nomination fees to enter the Ricci Memorial Series and declarations close at the normal time of entry – 9:00 am on Tuesday July 22nd.
Stalls are available for horses wishing to stable at Scarborough Downs during the series.
For further information or to make your entry, please contact Joe Figiulo or Mike Sweeney at 207-883-4331.
Scarborough Downs proudly features live harness racing every Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening at 4:15 pm (EDT). The popular Sunday matinees feature a 1:30 pm post time.
