Topsham, ME – Driver Aaron Hall deftly transitioned from sickbed to multiple winner’s circle sessions on Thursday (Aug. 7) as one of Maine’s top-rated pilots celebrated a clean bill of health with a five-win performance at the Topsham Fair.
“Aaron called me about two hours before post time on Wednesday and told me he was about halfway to the fairgrounds but was turning around to head back home because he was feeling so ill,” said Topsham’s presiding judge, Greg Kirby. “We found catch-drivers for all his Wednesday drives and wished him a speedy recovery.”
And recover Aaron did, returning to action on Thursday with a reinvigorated fire and working absolute magic with every line he touched.
Included in Hall’s conquests on Thursday were wins in both $11,812 divisions of Maine Sire Stakes action for sophomore colts where he held on bravely to keep Massive Speed’s (1:59.1-NB) undefeated season alive despite an attempted gang tackle by Ridgecrest Dan (John Nason) and Dawn Two Dark (Andy Harrington) at the wire, and then with No Guts No Glory (1:58.4-$17.60) who broke his maiden while equaling the 21-year-old track record for his age and sex set by Artchie Andrews and Jason Bartlett in 2004.
Turning his attention to the overnight ranks, Hall engineered three consecutive winning strategies, scoring back-to-back wins with a pair of Johnathan Bresnahan trainees with Hey Run Me Over (2:01.3-$12.40) benefiting from a patient pocket trip, while Bolt Ruler (2:00-$8.60) bravely ground it out into the teeth of a :59.3 back-half to secure the 2-1/4 length triumph.
Forrest Blu (1:58.2-$6.40) delivered Hall’s fifth and final conquest, sitting close to the pace like all his other winners, and then pouncing from the pocket to secure the 1-1/4 length score.
Hall concluded his day with five wins, two seconds, and two thirds from 12 starts on the card with his steeds claiming a grand share of $20,806 of the $60,224 in total purses offered.
Hall’s own roster also shone brightly on Thursday when two of his stable’s trotters finished first and second in the afternoon’s feature trot as Whats The Word (2:03-$8) and driver Drew Campbell bested the Hall piloted Storm Bringer by three lengths.
“It was a great day for sure” Hall remarked. “All the horses raced great and the track at Topsham continues to be outstanding this year. But honestly, I was just happy to be able to make it to the track today after the way I felt yesterday.”
After four sessions of racing at Topsham, Hall has elevated himself into a second-place tie on the driver’s leaderboard with he and Heath Campbell amassing six wins apiece. The pair trail Kevin Switzer Jr., who trumps all comers with nine weeklong wins, and sit one win ahead of Drew Campbell and Andy Harrington, who own five Topsham wins each.
In other Topsham news, Andy Harrington engineered a bit of a rarity on Thursday as he drove his 15-year-old pacer, Rockaholic (1:59.4-$4) to victory in the afternoon’s finale.
The win was the 45th career score for the veteran son of Rocknroll Hanover, who is allowed to compete in amateur and fair events by a recent change in Maine Harness Racing Commission rules.
“I wasn’t going to bring him back, but he raced so well at the end of last season, and he was getting cranky sitting around doing nothing,” Harrington remarked. “He’s always been one of my favorites and he loves what he does. It will be sad for both him and me when he finally retires at the end of this season.”
The 2025 Topsham Fair meet concludes with an 11-race program beginning at 12:30 p.m. (EDT) on Saturday (Aug. 9). The program will feature two $11,500-plus splits of Maine Sire Stakes action for 2-year-old filly pacers to be contested as non-wagering events, immediately followed by nine pari-mutuel contests.
For those not able to come to the track, wagering on the Topsham Fair, as well as hundreds of harness and thoroughbred racetracks across the world, will be available on Hollywood Races at www.hollywoodraces.com as well as at all state of Maine off-track betting parlors.
The video for Topsham’s races will be livestreamed on YouTube at www.youtube.com/@mainefairharnessracing and the live audio of Topsham’s cards will be available along the online radio network of Mix Maine Media at The Mix 107.9 FM, True Country 93.5 FM, and THE Score 1160 AM as well as online at www.mixmaine.com.