Scarborough Downs Race Track was a

horse-racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

track Track or Tracks may refer to: Routes or imprints * Ancient trackway, any track or trail whose origin is lost in antiquity * Animal track, imprints left on surfaces that an animal walks across * Desire path, a line worn by people taking the shorte ...

located in

Scarborough, Maine Scarborough is a New England town, town in Cumberland County, Maine, Cumberland County on the southern coast of the U.S. state of Maine. The town is a coastal resort area. Located about south of Portland, Maine, Portland, Scarborough is part of t ...

, United States. It was Maine's largest race track. It was home to The Downs Club restaurant as well as a

grandstand A grandstand is a normally permanent structure for seating spectators. This includes both auto racing and horse racing. The grandstand is in essence like a single section of a stadium, but differs from a stadium in that it does not wrap a ...

for race viewing, and includes 2 track-side lounges as well as a VIP Room. It held its final races on November 30, 2020. Scarborough Downs was constructed in 1949 as a racetrack for

thoroughbred horse race Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in ...

s and was completed in 1950. It was the only one of its kind in the state.

Harness racing Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait (a trot or a pace). They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, or spider, or chariot occupied by a driver. In Europe, and less frequently in Australi ...

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. In the 2000s, owner Joseph Ricci, also known for being one of the founders of the infamous

Élan School Élan School was a private, coeducational, and controversial residential behavior modification program and therapeutic boarding school in Poland, Androscoggin County, Maine. It was a full member of the National Association of Therapeutic Schools ...

, introduced simulcast wagering and the track began to offer

simulcast Simulcast (a portmanteau of simultaneous broadcast) is the broadcasting of programmes/programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simultane ...

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 TACK is a group of archaea acronym for Thaumarchaeota (now Nitrososphaerota), Aigarchaeota, Crenarchaeota (now Thermoproteota), and Korarchaeota, the first groups discovered. They are found in different environments ranging from acidophilic th ...

, destroyed a 240-foot barn, killing eleven horses. 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. 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 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

vaccine distribution site since February 2021.

References

External links

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Scarborough Downs track photographers website

Maine Harness Racing

Biddeford Downs

The Maine Attraction
Defunct horse racing venues in Maine Sports venues completed in 1950 Harness racing venues in the United States Tourist attractions in Cumberland County, Maine Buildings and structures in Scarborough, Maine Horse racing venues in Maine {{Maine-sports-venue-stub