Senior Citizens frolic at Bangor Raceway

Bangor, Maine  – “Youth is wasted on the young.”

There is some debate as to whether the adage is attributable to George Bernard Shaw or Oscar Wilde but whichever titan of Irish literature first constructed the idiom, there are a pair of superannuated harness racing trotters at Bangor Raceway who pay it no mind.

Wednesday’s (July 19) opening race, a lower-level classified event, attracted the attention of not one, but two 14-year-old high steppers who are charging hard through their final season of racing, both intent on adding to their prolific tallies of victories.

Stardust Memories (Cantab Hall), in harness to driver Aaron Hall for owner/trainer Eric Bickmore, struck the first blow for the geriatric set, gliding from the gate and coasting through an unhurried opening half timed in 1:02. Sensing the lack of tempo, driver/owner/trainer Kim Ireland hustled his preretiree, Muscana (Muscles Yankee), quickly to the outside to engage.

Calling upon all the guile mastered from their combined 668 career starts, the dashing duo did battle through a quickening 1:00.2 back half as Stardust Memories (2:02.2-$2.40) extended to a 3-1/4 length margin at the wire. With Muscana settling for the runner-up placing, the pair of 14-year-olds combined to deliver a $15.20 exacta return – a sum which might augment a social security paycheck quite nicely!

The win marked the 47th career victory lap for the ultra-consistent Stardust Memories who also boasts 49 runner-up placings and 49 thirds over the course of his lifetime efforts.

STARDUST MEMORIES REPLAY

Poetically perhaps, a pair of 13-year-old, relative youngsters, finished third and fourth behind the seniors with Scottish Blue (Luke Varnum) finishing third for the 58th time in his career while Maine Muscle (Bruce Ranger) crossed the wire in fourth.

In other Bangor news, driver Dan Deslandes maintained his grip on top dog status on the Bangor leaderboard, adding three more wins to his top-rated tally on Wednesday, while Bruce Ranger and Drew Campbell each scored two.

On the trainers side of the balance sheet, Jeff Deslandes continued his mastery at the Bangor meeting, sending three more winners down Victory Lane on Wedneday.

Bangor Raceway will present live harness racing at 12:15 p.m. (EDT) on Friday (7-21) with an early non-wagering edition of the Maine Sire Stakes program going to post at 11:40 a.m. The closing day of the summer meeting at Bangor is slated for Wednesday (7-26) with a 3:00 p.m. Post time.

For complete race results, click here: US Trotting Results

by Mike Sweeney, for Bangor Raceway