Bangor Raceway continued to buck United States pari-mutuel trends in 2025, reporting record handle numbers at the end of its recently concluded meet, while far surpassing record business numbers obtained during the 2024 season.

Bangor Raceway has reported that over the course of its 38-day meet in 2025, the raceway accrued an average daily handle of $101,215 USD, the highest in the track's history, besting the 2024 average ($88,985 USD) by 14 per cent and continuing an upward trajectory which has shown solid year-to-year gains since 2021.

Daily handles in excess of $100,000 USD have now become a regular expectation at Bangor Raceway with the track reporting 20 such occurrences realized in 2025, compared to 12 $100,000 USD handle days in 2024 and only two in 2023.

Bangor Raceway has reported its average daily handle has incrementally grown by 31 per cent since 2021, while races per day have increased by 14 per cent and average daily purses ($41,497 USD in 2025) have increased by 34 per cent during the same period.

"Bangor’s 2025 harness racing season was one for the record books” said Thomas Smith, Bangor Raceway’s Racing Operations Manager. “These results reflect the dedication of our team, fans and the horsemen and horsewomen who continue to make Bangor a leader in Maine harness racing.

"Continued improvements to our simulcast signal, strategic post times, a commitment to providing a world-class racing surface and determination to offer competitive, full field cards have all combined to make Bangor Raceway an increasingly attractive wagering option on a nationwide basis. As we prepare to launch our 2026 season in the spring, we invite the wagering public to check us out. We’re confident you’ll like what you see."

The 2025 meet concluded on Saturday, Nov. 1 with Kevin Switzer Jr. (66 wins) and Benson Merrill (27 wins) leading all drivers and trainers, respectively. Switzer Jr. added the Bangor driving title to the hardware earned at all six of Maine’s pari-mutuel fairs this year.

Pending approval by the Maine Harness Racing Commission, live harness racing will resume at Bangor Raceway in April of 2026. 

(With files from Bangor Raceway)