dana delisle Maine's premier P J

[Wendall Tilley]

Yogi your absolutely right.The fairs will be the last entity to still have harness racing, started there and will end there.Thats where people were exposed to racing.That is why horse people need to support the fairs both financially and by racing their horses there.

[bass park]

what a joke. the best that the horsemen can do is to try to pass a law to get oxford to pay them more money or get a piece of sports gambling if that ever happens. no chance.
andn then theres the fact that there will be no scarborough next year.

[chief yogi]

i agree to a point. the horsepeople  need to do more to support all tracks and fairs. do more themselves. I also believe that harness racing should get more from oxford. years ago bangor got a racino and had to give a percentage to the industry. oxford pays a lot less a percentage. that is not right. it happened because of the ignorant ways the state allows these referendums to be written and then voted into law. I would go onto say that more money should go to the industry even from bangor. slot machines and casinos in maine and everywhere have sucked almost all the handle from horses and dogs in those states. racinos were supposed to help the industry. yes we get money from them but we also no longer have a handle to generate our own purses. just look back over the last 20 years. live handle in maine is what about 20 percent of what it was on a race by race basis. even the Fryeburg fair which draws many once a year fan is only half or so what it was. the lottery has hurt too. sportsbetting legally I don't think will change much. that money is already bet just not thru a taxable source. so yes the people directly involved in racing really need to help there own cause more is needed from the racinos. I also cannot understand one thing with oxford. the casino had to buy the oxford track but were allowed not to race. someone really needs to explain that one. I do know the reason but you have to own a track but get away not racing cant get that one.

[Wendall Tilley]

Right again yogi ! However do you think oxford is gonna give up one red cent ? Peter martin got the law written not to give the horsemen shit.Churchill has all kinds of $ to make sure they give up nothing.The barn door has been closed.I don't disagree they should have to pay the same as penn but those with the gold make the rules, been that way a long time!

[chief yogi]

I know oxford will fight to not give a penny more or run a race at the fairgrounds. the whole way of getting things on a maine ballot sucks. all anyone needs to do is get signatures and have it written correctly then if the voters vote it in, its law. what I have wondered is will it fly if I want to put a casino at the statehouse. if it gets voted in will the lawmakers overrule it. its just another reason why maine racing is dead. done correctly racinos would have benifitted everyone. I knew from the start we were doomed. how was bangor and now oxford a racino when they are not actually together. track here the casino down the road. my thought is the casino should be at the track. when it wasn't I knew we were doomed in maine. we can go back to the people involved in the industry. how come it was allowed to be this way. it all came down to getting a little bit extra without doing anything. all involved should have suppored the no vote until someone had a proposal that really helped the industry. the way it is, its just a small welfare check that has unfortunately hurt the racing industry. its hurt the people that were fans too. even into the late 90's there was enough handle to make you want to bet.

[whiptherabbit]

When will the 2019 race dates be released???

[Mbdreamer]

They’ve been out for over a month.

[whiptherabbit]

Anyone have a link to the dates? Theres nothing on meharness still...

Thanks

[Mbdreamer]

I googled 2019 Maine harness racing dates and it took me to Maine.gov.

[Wendall Tilley]

If the bill in the legislature passes,LD715 a bill to take the slot $ away, there won't be anything left to argue about.Knew this bill would come one day, now we will see how people respond to it

[chief yogi]

so true if the bill passes racing is done. so far i dont hear the bandwagons heading to augusta to protest. of course  the few stables with horses and owners are racing out of state for the winter. lets see what happens. it would be sad to lose racing in the state. i have the good memories of my youth of full grandstands and being able to make money.

[bass park]

since 2005 the state has given $125 million from the casinos to the harness racing industry. a lot of people in augusta arent happy about it.

[chief yogi]

augusta lawmakers would love that money but it was a peoples vote that gave it to the industry. some money has been wasted such as bangor and scarborough getting money just to run aside from the purse money. it created no incentive for the tracks to try to better themself ie. WELFARE.  hopefully the purse money keeps coming but maybe its time to wake up the tracks to better themself. bangor downstairs is nice enough but outside and grandstand are just pigion poop. fairs could run better. maybe the race directors dont get a paycheck untill the tracks handle rises. create a reason other than welfare for them to try.

[Wendall Tilley]

If the horsemen can kill this bill it'll be a good wakeup call for all involved.Kind of ironic I went off on my rant a couple days ago and this happens.All the sponsors of the bill are dems so we'll see where Mills sits on harness racing.

[oldjohn123]

Is this because the horse people are mostly LePage people. On welfare and dont know it.