Just as the Scarborough Downs harness racetrack, off Route 1, is readying for opening day of its 65th season, the track has been sued for breach of contract.

The Massachusetts-based Sterling Suffolk Racecourse says Scarborough Downs owes it nearly $180,000 under a wagering agreement between it and Davric Maine Corp., which operates under the Scarborough Downs moniker.

The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Portland on March 6, requests that the judge order Scarborough Downs to pay Sterling Suffolk “all outstanding principal, interest, costs of collection and enforcement and attorneys fees due under the provisions of the contract.”

On Tuesday, Jonathan Goldberg, an attorney at the Portland firm MittelAsen representing Sterling Suffolk, told the Current that the debt owed by Scarborough Downs “is months old” and that the Downs is “well aware of its debt.”

Goldberg said that Sterling Suffolk sent a demand letter to Scarborough Downs in November and when that went unanswered the company filed suit.

He said the lawsuit was brought in federal court in Maine because “the defendant, the defendant’s business and the defendant’s property are all in Maine.”

Ed MacColl, the attorney for Scarborough Downs, could not be reached for comment before the Current’s deadline.

Scarborough Downs plans to open for the season on March 28, according to the track’s website. The Downs is located on 500 acres of land, with access off both Route 1 and Payne Road, and the website says it has the fastest half-mile track in New England.

In the past several years the Downs has unsuccessfully attempted to add slot machines at its Scarborough location or move its operations to Biddeford. That proposal also included a hotel and entertainment center, along with table games.

However, locals have consistently voted down these proposals to expand the gambling options offered at Scarborough Downs. Sharon Terry, owner of the Downs, has said in recent years that she’s unsure how long the track can last without additional gaming revenue.

In addition to the attempts to add slot machines, Terry has put large swaths of land up for sale in recent years, all with the goal of increasing the revenues generated by the Downs, which not only offers live seasonal racing, but simulcast races, as well.

According to the lawsuit, both Scarborough and Suffolk Downs offer pari-mutuel wagering and in May 2012 the tracks entered into a simulcast wagering agreement, followed by the signing of a common pool wagering agreement in February 2013.

In June 2013, the common pool-wagering contract was renewed and in May 2014, the two tracks also renewed the simulcast wagering agreement, the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit states that under the two contracts, Scarborough Downs was obligated to compensate Suffolk Downs, and other racetracks, for losing bets made at Scarborough Downs.

In all, the suit says, Scarborough Downs owes Suffolk Downs a total of $179,373. “Although plaintiff has made due demand for payment of the sum now due, defendant has not paid said amount and is, therefore, in breach of its contract,” the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit also alleges unjust enrichment by Scarborough Downs because “at the special request and insistence of the defendant, with the knowledge and consent of the defendant, and for the benefit of the defendant, (Suffolk Downs) furnished services and paid monetary obligations on behalf of the defendant.”

And the suit argues that Suffolk Downs had “a reasonable expectation of receiving compensation for its services to and payments on behalf of the defendant,” which have gone unpaid.