Harness racing returns to Woodstock, N.B. this Friday night, with the New Brunswick Breeders Stakes as the main event.

Eight races will be contested on Friday with post time at 6 p.m. at Connell Park. 

Horse Racing New Brunswick will showcase the two-year-olds in the first leg of the N.B. Breeders Stakes on Friday evening with $30,000 in purse money up for grabs between the freshman colt and filly divisions, scheduled as races four and seven, respectively.

Gilles Barrieau, the New Brunswick Hall of Fame driver and trainer who won six races last Friday night, will be back in action on the card. He will drive in seven of the eight races.

Barrieau will drive two-year-old My Happy Place in the $15,000 filly stakes division. She is the 7-5 morning line favourite set to start from post six in the field of eight. My Happy Place was a winner in her first lifetime appearance in the P.E.I. Colt Stakes at Summerside Raceway last month for Barrieau and trainer Ron Matheson in 1:59.2. Bred by Charlotte Ranch and Seawind Amg Stbs 2005 Inc. of Mount Hebron, N.B., she’s a daughter of Shadow Play out of Smilesplace, purchased as a yearling from the Atlantic Classic Sale for $31,000 by Charlottetown's Patrick Morris.

In the $15,000 colt division, Here On Earth from the Melissa Rennie Stable will have Adam Merner driving from post two and has been selected as the 9-5 morning line favourite in a field of five. Bred by Clark Bustard of Elmwood, N.B., the Bet The Moon-Well Shaded colt has hit the board in his first three stakes starts. A $9,500 yearling acquisition from the Atlantic Classic Sale, he is owned by Jared Perrot of Stratford, P.E.I., and Cory Livingston of Village Green, P.E.I. Like A King, starting from post four, should attract a lot of attention for Barrieau, trainer Don Milligan and owner/breeder Jenn Ritchie of Kingston, N.B.  

The top overnight event of the night goes for $2,500 as race six with Mantario the 7-5 top pick by race secretary Brent Briggs. Kingston's Brock MacEachern owns the eight-year-old pacer, who is trained by Wayne Watson and will be driven by Todd Trites. Trained by Ellen Stevenson, Therealprincess and driver/owner Dr. Mitch Downey of Saint John, N.B. are coming off a second-place effort in the Standardbred Canada-sponsored leg of the Atlantic Aged Pacing Mares Series last Friday night.

To view Friday's complete harness racing entries, click the following link: Friday Entries - Woodstock Raceway NB.

(With files from Horse Racing New Brunwick)