Grondin and Campbell surge at Bangor Raceway

Bangor, Maine … The stalwart trainer/driver harness racing combination of Valerie Grondin and Heath Campbell came to the forefront on Wednesday (July 3), scoring three wins and a third from five starts while supplying all the fireworks on the pre-holiday program at Bangor Raceway.

Pembroke Danny Boy (Baron Biltmore, 1:59.1-$5.20) set the early standard for the kingpin combo, keeping his undefeated season intact fresh off the shelf, while winning his fourth consecutive start despite being absent from the races for the entire month of June. The four-year-old Maine-bred scored while soaring in his customary gate-to-wire fashion with Campbell applying the coaster brakes to the half before dissuading the competition through a zippy 58.2 back-half to nab the win by a handy 3/4-length margin while equaling his lifetime best clocking in the process.

PEMBROKE DANNY BOY REPLAY

Paxxton (Western Maverick  1:56.4-$4.20), the second spear thrown from the Grondin/Campbell quiver, claimed his first win of the season to improve his on-the-board-ratio to an impressive eight for nine thus far in 2024.

The six-year-old Maine-bred generated an imposing 28.2 third panel while gamely digging down deep to repel a determined challenge from Outspoken Man (Aaron Hall), accelerating then through a 57.4 back-half to secure a brand-new lifetime mark.

PAXXTON REPLAY

Pembroke Legacy  (Baron Biltmore, 1:57.2-$4.60) completed the triumphant trilogy for the Gondin/Campbell connection, hitting the highway with backed down speed, to join her stablemates in the glow of winner’s circle glory.

The win was the first of the season for the five-year-old mare.

PEMBROKE LEGACY REPLAY

In other Bangor news, driver Drew Campbell was the only other repeat competitor on the Wednesday card, scoring two wins while falling just one victory shy of matching his brother’s benchmark tally.

Maine Sire Stakes action returns to Bangor Raceway on Sunday (July 7) as the three-year-old trotting divisions take center stage in two splits. The colt division will be carded as a non-wagering event at 10:30 am while the filly division will go to post as race one on the parimutuel program at 11:00 a.m.

Bangor Raceway’s marquis event of the season, the $25,000 Fred Nichols Memorial Invitational, will co-anchor the Sunday morning matinee, appearing as race seven on the twelve-race program.

Live harness racing is proudly featured at Bangor Raceway throughout the summer every Wednesday afternoon with a 3:00 p.m. (EDT) post time while the popular Sunday morning matinees go to post bright and early at 11:00 a.m. Simulcast wagering is available daily in the grandstand facility.

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

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

by Mike Sweeney, for Bangor Raceway