Bangor, ME – Heath Campbell rung the curtain down on a successful 2025 meeting at Bangor Raceway on Saturday (Nov. 1), scoring three driving wins during the chilly closing day program while cementing his status as the second-leading driver at historic Bass Park this season.
Campbell launched his barrage with a sterling gate-to-wire score behind the veteran trotter Broadway Giant (2:02-$5.40). Owned and trained by Ronald Patoine, the 11-year-old son of Broadway Hall swelled up on the lead, collecting his 40th career victory while simultaneously elevating his lifetime bankroll past the $200,000 benchmark.
Choosing a different strategy, Campbell rode the pegs with the Mark Harris-trained Rose Run Slider (1:58.4-$6.60). Taking dead-aim at the front-running Press Time (Aaron Hall), who had been hounded by various combatants throughout, Rose Run Slider shifted gears off the final bend, propelling himself toward the leg weary rabbit, before extending out to a 1-1/2 length margin at the wire.
Owned by Gayle Harris, the win marked the 39th career score for the 11-year-old son of Western Ideal.
Campbell had the fans tossing their hats into the 37-mile-per-hour wind gusts on Saturday as he turned a seemingly impossible third-over journey into the winning strategy for Sweet Scarlett (2:03.2-$19). Overcoming a 1:03.3 half, the 4-year-old Boston Red Rocks mare, who is trained by Kandace Niles for owner Carl Wharton IV, secured her second win of the season while cementing Campbell’s third win of the day.
Campbell concluded his 2025 Bangor campaign with 53 driving wins, 13 fewer than the seasonal champion, Kevin Switzer Jr., who in unprecedented manner added the Bangor driving crown to the hardware earned at all six of Maine’s pari-mutuel fairs this year.
The leading trainer at the 2025 Bangor meet was Benson Merrill, whose 27 wins trumped fellow conditioners Autym Sowers and Valerie Grondin, who trailed the champion by four and five wins, respectively.
Pending approval by the Maine Harness Racing Commission, live harness racing will resume at Bangor Raceway in April 2026.
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.