Jim Campbell knows stakes-winner Alexas Power will face a challenge this year at age four, leaving the age-restricted ranks to take on the best older female pacers in the sport, but the trainer believes his mare has a temperament that could help her along.

“She’s got that feisty, racing attitude to her, and she likes to race,” Campbell said. “I think those are pretty good qualities to help her make that transition. But it’s a very tough group, probably as tough as there’s been in a long, long time.

“The toughest part for them is coming back at four and making that transition. She needs to get some racing and see what she can do.”

Alexas Power starts to get that racing Friday at the Meadowlands Racetrack, where she kicks off her four-year-old season in the preferred handicap for fillies and mares. She will face eight rivals, including 2018 Golden Girls winner Divas Image, who is the 2-1 morning line favourite. Alexas Power, who will have Marcus Miller in the sulky, is 6-1.

Last year, Alexas Power won multiple Grand Circuit stakes, including the Jugette and Lismore Pace. She won nine of 20 races, hit the board a total of 17 times, and ranked fourth in divisional earnings with $469,363. The three horses that finished ahead of her in purses have either a Dan Patch or O’Brien award to their credit: Kissin In The Sand, Youaremycandygirl, and Percy Bluechip.

“I was very happy with her,” Campbell said. “She’s such a nice filly to race because she gives you a good effort every time you put her out there. And she’s just a real nice horse to be around, too. She’s one that you love having in the barn.”

Alexas Power, a daughter of Somebeachsomewhere out of the O’Brien Award-winning mare Michelles Power, is owned by breeder Jeff Snyder and his son, Michael. She is a full sister to stakes-winner Macs Jackpot and her family also includes Canada’s 2012 Horse of the Year Michaels Power as well as Hall of Famer Cams Card Shark.

The mare prepped for Friday’s race with two qualifiers at the Meadowlands. She finished fifth in the first and fourth in the second, beaten one and a quarter lengths.

“She bled a little bit in her second qualifier, so we put her on lasix; it will be her first start on lasix,” Campbell said. “But other than that, she’s come back good.

“We were thinking of the (Blue Chip Matchmaker Series) for her, but bleeding and not getting off on the right foot, that was going to be pretty tough. We’re just going to get her a few overnights and see where she’s at and go from there. She’s staked up. We’ll go race to race and see how she is and go from there.”

Alexas Power, pictured with Terry Buchanan

Racing will begin at 7:15 p.m. (EDT) on Friday at the Meadowlands. The card also includes a preferred handicap for trotters, where Sutton is the morning line favorite (2-1) over Trolley (5-2). Sutton handed Trolley his only loss in five races this season on March 8. Trolley defeated Sutton in his seasonal debut on February 22.

(USTA)