It was sad to see the article (May 3) depicting the demise of harness racing in Maine. Was there anything that could be done to prevent the destruction of that beautiful sport?
Years ago, after Scarborough Downs was designated to be the flagship of Maine’s harness racing, I took my parents down there to enjoy a day of racing. Upon leaving the facility, I remember saying to them that the grandstand should be torn down because it was depressing. That grandstand was built for when the racing was done on a one-mile track, not the current half-mile track.
When you are trying to sell a product, presentation is everything. That grandstand should have been replaced by a smaller, more cheerful facility.
Whoever was in charge of Maine harness racing through the past few decades should be ashamed of themselves. There are a lot of reasons for the failure of harness racing, but that grandstand, as much as anything else, helped to destroy harness racing in Maine.
Andy Bennett, Buckfield
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