Bangor, ME – With only 97 miles separating the city of Bangor from the Canadian entry point of St. Stephen, New Brunswick, it’s of little surprise that the action at Bangor Raceway should take on a bit of an international flavor.
Richard Allaby, who hails from St. John, is currently the leading trainer at Bangor Raceway, and the daily programs are peppered with names like Dickinson, Davies, Sowers, Stevenson, Campbell, and more, representing generational contributions that the province has leant to the North American harness racing scene.
And on Friday (June 5) a relative New Brunswick newcomer to the mix came dramatically to the forefront as driver Colin DeCourcey stamped his imprint on the competition at historic Bass Park, delighting the long-shot players with a pair of high-priced winners.
Breaking last with the 43-1 shot, Tobins Hottie, DeCourcey barely merited a call as they trailed around the oval. But as the tempo grew tepid around the final turn, DeCourcey found himself holding the lines on the hottest of steeds as Tobins Hottie ranged four-wide off the seven-eighths bend to mount a courageous rally from last to first. Getting up at the wire by the margin of a neck and stopping the teletimer in 1:58.2, the duo returned a hefty $89.40 win ticket to the delight of the price player contingent.
The win was the first of the season for the 6-year-old Source Of Pride mare, who is owned by the Bala Stable and trained by Robert Kitchen.
The rally route once again proved beneficial to DeCourcey later in the program with Whats Inthe Esky A as he patiently sat the pocket behind Spicey P (Michael Stevenson), who had his hands full with a persistently pesky outer-rim challenge from Venice Blue Chip (Walter Case Jr.).
While the lead duo duked it out, DeCoursey sat chilly before spying the slightest of seams at the head of the lane, enabling him to skim the styrofoam all the way down Victory Lane while returning another respectable win ticket of $15.20.
The 1:56.2 score for Whats Inthe Esky A represented a seasonal mark for the 12-year-old Aussie-bred, who is also trained by Kitchen for the Bala Stable.
In other Bangor news, business numbers continue to trend upward as Bangor heads into the summer portion of its meet. Friday’s (June 5) handle of $184,497 was the second-highest handle of the 2026 season. Bangor’s handle has now eclipsed the $100,000 level during all 13 of its performances this year while Friday’s handle represented the fourth time this season that the handle has surpassed the $150,000 plateau – both of which are record occurrences for the historic 144-year-old harness racing venue.
Live harness racing at Bangor Raceway during the month of June will be conducted on a two-day-per-week schedule, with the Wednesday cards going to post at 3 p.m. (EDT) and the brand new Friday matinee performances kicking off at 12:10 p.m.
Bangor’s traditionally well-attended Sunday programs will be on hiatus until the month of July.
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.