Enthusiasm was in abundance at Bangor Raceway on Sunday, July 19 as the 25-day spring/summer meet came to its glorious conclusion while heralding unheard of heights in practically every business category imaginable.
Bangor Raceway reported that all time records were set in handle generation over the period as the 2026 average daily handle (ADH) spiked to $151,352 USD, a 50.54 per cent increase over the then-record 2025 figure of $100,537 USD, and towering over the ADH of $69,089 USD, which was the norm just five years ago in 2022.
Steady, incremental growth was also demonstrated in average handle per race, which has climbed to a record $15,309 USD in 2026, representing a 41.01 per cent increase over 2025’s then-record average of $10,857 USD and nearly doubling the $7,851 USD average per race churn generated five years ago in 2022.
Bangor’s average overnight purses offered per day rose to a record $49,528 USD during the just concluded meet, an increase of 14.73 per cent over 2025’s high water mark of $43,170 USD while the average overnight purse per race topped out at $4,993 USD, a 7.31 per cent increase over 2025.
All this accomplished while Bangor Raceway offered two additional race dates (25) over the same period in 2025 (23) while carding 30 more races (248) than last season (218).
"It was a great summer meet, featuring full fields and record-setting handle for the Raceway,” remarked Thomas Smith, Bangor’s director of racing. “I'm incredibly grateful for the hard work our entire team has put in, and the results speak for themselves. We look forward to building on this success when we return during the Bangor State Fair and then again during our fall meets in September and October.”
Driver Chris Long held the hot hand during the closing day performance as the graduate of the state-of-Maine circuit returned home for the day from his current base of Saratoga Raceway. Long scored four wins over the course of the day, including a Maine Sire Stakes victory with three-year-old pacing gelding Real Horrorshow as he capably subbed for regular pilot Kevin Switzer Jr. in a $21,738 division.
“It’s the first time I’ve been up here in a little while,” explained Long. “Kevin Switzer and his son had to go to Plainridge for the Spirit of Massachusetts Day this afternoon. They asked me to come up and drive Real Horroshow and so it worked out nicely for me to step into a nice spot.”
In one of the two non-betting stakes divisions, Long and Real Horrorshow led wire to wire, setting fractions of :30.3, 1:02.1 and 1:30.4 en route to the 2:00.2 triumph over a trio of Marc Tardiff trainees, with Rebels Revenge (Aaron Hall) the closest, one length behind. Dudes The Jet (Joey Mosher) and Itjustmoney (Andy Harrington) were third and fourth.
The stakes win was the third in a row for defending state divisional champion Real Horrorshow and the 12th of his career, boosting his lifetime earnings to $175,243. The Dudes The Man-Pretty Eyes gelding is owned by KDK Standardbred of Cumberland, Maine, Kathleen Mofield of Bedford, Massachusetts and Anthony Sivik Jr. of Orono, Maine.
The other $21,421 Maine Sire Stakes division belonged to Daytoremember. Driven by Heath Campbell, the Dudes The Man-Paxxie gelding left swiftly to take command then set fractions of :30.3, 1:01.3 and 1:30.2 on his way to a 7-1/4-length tally in 1:59 flat. Mike Stevenson tipped Deuces Red to the outside from third into the third panel and finished second over Silence Ofdarkness (Aaron Hall).
Trained and owned by Valerie Grondin, Daytoremember picked up his third win of the season in Sire Stakes action, all at the historic Bass Park, and now has five career victories with earnings surpassing the $100,000 mark.
Heath Campbell led all drivers over the course of the spring/summer meet, amassing 46 wins to edge our Aaron Hall, who drove 45 winners. On the trainers’ side of the ledger, Richard Allaby won the early season laurels while sending 19 winners to the post, three more than Valerie Grondin’s 16.
Racing will return to historic Bass Park during the Bangor State Fair with evening cards planned for Thursday, July 30 and Wednesday, Aug. 5, with a 6 p.m. post time.
Maine Sire Stakes will continue at First Tracks Cumberland with two-year-old colt pacers in the spotlight on Friday, July 24.
(With files from Bangor Raceway & Maine Sire Stakes; photo of Real Horrorshow winning on July 19)