Thayer sweeps Moxie Series with long shots

Bangor, Maine …. Profitable purses and extremely competitive fields produced big mutuel payoffs when the Moxie Pacing Series final and consolation were held at Bangor Raceway on Wednesday (June 18), with the common denominator in the pricey payoffs being driver Shawn Thayer and trainer Richard Allaby.

Dismissed at 14-1 odds, Allaby sent The Shining (Custard The Dragon) forward in the $8500 Moxie Final, in harness to Thayer in search of the pacer’s third seasonal score.

Thayer sat next to last behind torrid early fractions while Spodog (McGwire Sowers) cut the path to the quarter in a zippy :27.4, pushed along by Terror Hall (Wallace Watson), who was consigned to a “first-over forever” journey after leaving from post 7.

Brave on the bit despite the trip, Terror Hall provided live cover as Thayer secured a third over trip behind the parked-out entry and St Lads Thriller (Steven Wilson). Tipping three-wide at three-parts, The Shining matched strides with the gritty Terror Hall as Spodog faltered under pressure, and in a stretch drive for the ages, The Shining doggedly gained a quarter-length margin over his determined foe as the tandem traded jabs to the wire, persevering over the well-matched field with six horses within 1-3/4 lengths at the finish.

Terror Hall’s courageous effort netted him the runner-up placing while Next Big Thing (Aaron Hall) rallied for third.

THE SHINING REPLAY

The 1:57.2 clocking was the fastest of the season for the seven-year-old son of Custard The Dragon who returned $30.40 to win while elevating his lifetime bankroll over the $100,000 mark with the victory.

Allaby and Thayer complete the Moxie sweep as Real Thing secured the top placing in the $6500 consolation.

Dissed at 13-1 odds, Thayer settled his charge sixth along the wood, sitting for only the briefest of moments before making an early rush toward the pacesetting Ultimate Flyer N (Timothy Hudson) just before the field entered the second turn.  Once engaged, Real Thing and Ultimate Flyer matched strides for the remainder of the epic, with mere whiskers separating the combatants as they stared each other in the eye for more 5/8ths of a mile.

With little determined despite a glorious stretch battle, Real Thing finally eked out a half-length margin to secure his third win of the season, timed in 1:58.2, and returning a brilliant $29.60 win ticket to his faithful supporters.

REAL THING REPLAY

Bush Man N (McGwire Sowers) rallied for second while Ultimate Flyer N, despite a gritty performance, settled for third.

In other news, Bangor Raceway continues to build upon and exceed 2024’s  record business numbers, a season which produced a record daily average handle of $88,985 and a record 12 days with handles in excess of $100,000.

Through 14 cards of the 2025 meet, Bangor’s per card average handle has experienced an 11% growth over the same period in 2024. This substantial growth has been fueled in part by six $100,000 handle days as opposed to three such occurrences over the same period in 2024.

“We are encouraged by the upward trend in handle this season” said Thomas Smith, Bangor’s Racing Operations Manager, “Horse supply has been great which promotes full, competitive fields and makes Bangor an appealing place for bettors to spend their money.”

Another key factor is our new HD video and graphics package. The quality of our signal stacks up with some of the biggest and best tracks in the country and makes our product visually attractive to customers worldwide.”

Maine Sire Stakes action returns to Bangor Raceway on Sunday (June 22) as the three-year-old trotting divisions make their second seasonal appearance at the Queen City oval, racing for purses estimated in excess of $11,000 per dash.

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