Bangor, ME – From venue to venue, Maine’s harness racing circuit has become the personal playground for driver Kevin Switzer Jr. this season.
Dominant during this summer’s fairground tour, Switzer has gathered all the hardware at all five of Maine’s pair-mutuel fairs, claiming driving titles at Topsham, Skowhegan, Windsor, Farmington, and the Fryeburg fairs while residing at the apex of the leaderboard at both Bangor Raceway and First Tracks Cumberland, Maine’s two commercial track meets.
And on opening day of the autumn meeting at Bangor Raceway on Wednesday (Oct. 8), Switzer picked up right where he left off before venturing out on his conquest of the fairground ovals, scoring four wins from the 12 race program while fortifying his yearlong status as King of the Queen City oval.
Switzer controlled the raceway on Wednesday, forging insistently to repeated early leads, while bringing home all four of his winners in commanding gate-to-wire fashion.
Included in Switzer’s grand-slam skein were scores by Real Thing (1:57.1-$3.60) and Shaggy (1:59.2-$2.60), both hailing from the lightning hot Richard Allaby roster, followed quickly by an imposing win behind Liam’s Ace (1:57.1-$2.20), who paid dimes to dollars while churning through an unaided :57.3 back-half for trainer Eric Bickmore. The win was one of two on the card for the Bickmore barn.
Switzer concluded his opening day conquest in grand fashion, securing the benchmark 55th career win for Golden Tree (1:59.4-$6.20) while holding off a determined overland challenge from Blueberry Heaven and exciting new provisional driver James Doucette by the margin of a diminishing head.
“I’m very blessed” Switzer remarked. “I drive for a lot of talented trainers, and I have a great support group at home. They really help me get through days when I don’t want to get in the truck and drive 2-1/2 hours to go race seven days a week, but the run I’ve been on since the beginning of July is probably the best run I’ve ever been on in my life.”
Switzer currently holds a 10-win lead over Heath Campbell in the Bangor Raceway driver standings and a six-win lead over McGwire Sowers on the First Tracks Cumberland leaderboard. With 10 days of racing remaining at Bangor before First Tracks Cumberland’s 17-day winter meet, the possibility exists for Switzer to accomplish the unprecedented and win driving titles at every one of Maine’s racing venues.
And that would be a sweet run indeed.
In other Bangor news, drivers Aaron Hall and Sowers each scored twin tallies on Wednesday while trainer Jamie Gerard joined Allaby and Bickmore with two wins from his well-conditioned roster.
Trainer Mark Harris continued on a roll on Wednesday as his razor sharp, Venice Blue Chip (1:57.2-$2.80), powered pillar-to-post to secure her fourth consecutive win with driver Wallace Watson handling the lines.
Bangor Raceway will play host to the $400,000 (Plus) Maine Sire Stakes sophomore championships on Saturday (Oct. 11) with post time slated for 3 p.m. (EDT). Co-featured on the card will be the $25,000 renewal of the Fred Nichols Memorial Invitational, Bangor’s marquee event of the season.
Live harness racing will continue on Sunday (Oct. 12) with a 12:10 p.m. post time, and after opening week, will be featured on a three day per week schedule in October with 3 p.m. (EDT) post times for the Wednesday twilight cards and with 12:10 p.m. starting times for the Saturday and Sunday matinees.
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.