All in a day’s fun at Union Fair
Horses race around the oval at the Union Fair Grounds on Thursday as their jockeys watch for their chance to get ahead. (Photos by Chris Wolf)
Blueberry princesses and queen candidates Mallory Conary, Taylor Griffin and Kelly Wiley
Taking in legislators day at the races, from left, is Gary Sukeforth House District 95, Sen. Linda Baker, District 23 and District 12 Sen. Dave Miramant.
A grand day for races.
David Ingraham of Lewiston shows off the dust and dirt from the track after his race.
Nick Graffam of Norton Farm in Falmouth.
Jennifer Petrelli’s father trains horses. Jennifer gets to wash and tend to the harnesses.
A racing form with tickets showing horses to win, place and show.
Hannah Oliver from Knox did well at the games and has a few animals to show for it.
Horses race around the oval at the Union Fair Grounds on Thursday as their jockeys watch for their chance to get ahead. (Photos by Chris Wolf)
Blueberry princesses and queen candidates Mallory Conary, Taylor Griffin and Kelly Wiley
Taking in legislators day at the races, from left, is Gary Sukeforth House District 95, Sen. Linda Baker, District 23 and District 12 Sen. Dave Miramant.
A grand day for races.
David Ingraham of Lewiston shows off the dust and dirt from the track after his race.
Nick Graffam of Norton Farm in Falmouth.
Jennifer Petrelli’s father trains horses. Jennifer gets to wash and tend to the harnesses.
A racing form with tickets showing horses to win, place and show.
Hannah Oliver from Knox did well at the games and has a few animals to show for it.
UNION — Aug. 27 was a great day for harness racing at the Union Fair. Nine races, a little wagering, bright sunshine and ice cold lemonade made for an enjoyable Thursday afternoon.
Harness racing is purported to be the oldest sport in Maine. Entrants from as far away as Pennsylvania helped round out the field at the fair this summer, as well as favorites from around the state.
The 2015 Union Fair starts to wind down this evening with the crowning of the Maine Wild Blueberry Queen at the Coronation at 7 p.m. in front of the grandstand. Saturday is Children’s Day and the fair’s last day, but it has been a great week of live entertainment, demolition derbies and of course harness racing.
David Ingraham of Lewiston had five horses to race yesterday. Ingraham said putting up with the ups and downs of the sport is the hardest thing about it.
“It seems when things go wrong, everything goes wrong,” he said. “When things go right it seems that everything goes right, but if you go in there and do all the right things, you get results.”
Nick Graffam has Norton Farm in Falmouth. He had entered four horses in Thursday’s competition. The question seems to be; is harness racing a hobby or a sport?
“It’s a sport, but maybe a hobby to some,” he said. “Harness racing has been in my family for more than 50 years. It can be an expensive sport if you pick and choose your battles right. Start with a horse and all the equipment and you can easily tie up a couple of thousand dollars before you ever get started.”
And then you have to train the horse.
“You start them when they’re babies, say in November,” said Graffam. “Your first race isn’t until July 1, so you have seven months of training and paying bills. Race horses you can only run two or three times a week at the fairs. You can win good money. The stakes program goes for really great money.”
The last day of racing at the Union Fair is Saturday, Aug. 29 beginning at 2 p.m. in the grandstand. Admission to watch the racing is free if you enter from Clark Field, which is off of Route 17. Buy a Racing Form, pick your favorites and try a little pari-mutual wagering, or just watch the fun and excitement as the horses run by.
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