by Fred Nichols, for Bangor Raceway

Bangor, ME — Sunday, July 22, was a “record” day at Bangor Raceway. New records were achieved for both gaits in front of a large crowd on Bangor’s final day of its summer meet.

In the $20,000 Paul Bunyan Invitational, Chewy Gross defended his Paul Bunyan title by pacing the mile in 1:52.4, shattering the old track record of 1:53.3 established by Lorryland Butler in 1995.

Driven by Heath Campbell, Chewy Gross fended off late charges by Our First Falcon N and O’Rourke Three to win by a quarter length. All three horses finished in track record time.

The mile ties the all-time speed record in the State of Maine, now shared with Hotrod Falcon, who paced in 1:52.4 at Scarborough Downs in 1993.

In the $10,000 Shrine Trot feature, Kiwi Demand N, driven by Ron Cushing, set a Bangor trot record in 1:58.1, winning by 2-1/4 lengths over Kerogen, who shared the previous record of 1:58.2 set earlier in the meet.