Aaron Hall wins five on Bangor’s closing day

Bangor, Maine …. Driver Aaron Hall provided the fireworks on Wednesday (November 6) as Bangor Raceway  brought down the curtain on its record breaking 2024 harness racing meeting, scoring five wins on an ultra-competitive 13-race program, under the bright lights of historic Bass Park.

Hall’s five-pack performance included three  rousing gate-to-wire victory marches while driving horses from his father’s (Craig Hall) roster. The father/son pacesetters included, Ibiteaskdoug (Tellitlikeitis) (1:58.3-$9.40), who sped through a :58 back-half while securing his fourth career win; Matt So Sure (Noble Venture) (2:00.2-$4.00), who was one of only two winning favorites to come in on the closing day program; and Mr Blissfull (1:58-$31.60), who won his second-in-a-row while taking his 47th career bow.

Hall also utilized the pike route while claiming the fastest win of the evening as he zoomed around the oval behind Forrest Blu (1:57-$5.20) for trainer Hunter Lofthus, securing the ninth seasonal win for the five-year-old son of Roll With Joe.

Hall’s lone off-the-pace score came with KP’s Magic Mary (1:59-$18.00), who rode an extended second-over journey, traveling from next-to-last to first while hitting the wire a measured head the best for trainer Kandace Niles.

FORREST BLU REPLAY

In other news, Bangor Raceway continued its recent trend of posting record business numbers, closing out the 2024 season by realizing the largest daily handle and average daily purse numbers in the racetrack’s history.

Overall, during the course of its just concluded 38 day meet, Bangor Raceway’s average daily handle experienced a hefty 17% growth, increasing from $73,432 in 2023 to $88,985 in 2024.

The upward trend in handle continued to show strong growth into the 14 day fall portion of the meet when the average daily handle expanded to $93,687 in 2024 as compared to $68,957 in 2023, a 26% year-to-year increase.

Bangor Raceway generated daily handle in excess of $100,000 on a record 12 of its 38 race days in 2024, compared to only two such occurrences in 2023, while distributing daily average purses of $45,734, up from $44,733 in 2023, yet another record for the state-of-Maine racing venue.

“The 2024 Bangor Raceway live meet was a huge success with both live and simulcast handle on the rise,” said Bangor’s Racing Operations Manager, Thomas Smith, “The increase was due to many contributing factors, including ample horse supply which allowed for full fields, strategic post times, a great family atmosphere here at the track and the hard work of all our employees. Thanks to everyone who made the 2024 meet a success and we are excited to build off that momentum as we plan for 2025”.

Finally, in Bangor racing news, Drew Campbell walked away with the 2024 drivers championship, posting 67 local wins over the course of the 38 day meeting. Heath Campbell secured the runner-up placing with 51 top tallies, while Aaron Hall, on the crest of a late season surge, powered his way into the third place spot with 48 scores.

The battle for the top trainers title ended in a dramatic tie as Jeff Deslandes sent two winners to the post on closing day to catch Valerie Grondin on the leaderboard with each accomplished trainer notching 32 wins over the course of the meet. Mark Harris capped off a career year, finishing third in the standings with 27 wins.

The Maine Harness Racing Commission is expected to award 2025 race dates on November 19, at which time Bangor will be able to announce next year’s racing schedule.

For complete information regarding live racing, simulcast wagering, gaming, dining and hotel accommodations at Bangor’s Hollywood Casino and Raceway, please visit the website, www.hollywoodcasinobangor.com

For complete race results, click here: US Trotting results.

by Mike Sweeney, for Bangor Raceway