Campbell commandeers winners circle

Bangor, Maine …. With multiple track championships under his belt, harness racing driver Drew Campbell has long been considered a primal force along the state-of-Maine harness circuit. Off to a hot start in defense of his 2024 driving title at Bangor Raceway, Campbell appears intent on building upon the momentum of past campaigns, while boldly stamping his imprint on the present day harness racing scene in Maine in particular and New England in general.

Boasting a pair of wins at Plainridge Racecourse and four wins at First Tracks Cumberland over the course of the past week, Campbell entered the Sunday (June 8) fray at Bangor Raceway primed for conquest. And to the delight of the Bangor faithful, he did not disappoint.

VALYRIAN STEEL REPLAY

Serving up a hat trick performance to close out his week, Campbell’s coda included scores with Valyrian Steel (2:00.2-$4.20), pouncing from the pocket with sword-like accuracy to claim victory in the $6500 first leg of the Penobscot Trot series; Koepka (1:56.3-$10.40), driving tee-to-green in first-over style through a daunting 58.4 back-half; and Miss Quality (1:58.2-$4.60) who soared gate-to-wire while making her state-of-Maine debut for new trainer Autym Robinson.

As Bangor goes dark until its regularly scheduled Wednesday performance, state-of-Maine fans can tune in as Drew Campbell takes his traveling show on the road. That familiar orange sulky might well be spotted trucking down I-495 this week, as Campbell appears with five drives on Monday (June 9) at Plainridge Racecourse followed by four listings at the Ridge on Tuesday afternoon.

In other Bangor news, front-end speed continued to be the order of the day at Bangor with seven of Sunday’s eleven winners coming right on the engine. With only ten winners coming from off-the-pace over the course of 48 races carded during the last five programs, the perceived track bias appears less like a fluke than a reality.

Bangor Raceway will showcase live harness racing throughout the mid-summer season, featuring sessions on Wednesday afternoons with a 3:00 pm post time, and the popular Sunday matinees going to post at 12:10 pm.

For those not able to come to the track, wagering and live video for Bangor Raceway, as well as hundreds of harness and thoroughbred racetracks across the world, is available on Hollywood Races at www.hollywoodraces.com.

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

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

by Mike Sweeney, for Bangor Raceway