Going For Blood and Fire And Blood, both New Brunswick Breeders Stakes freshman winners last year, added sophomore titles to their resumes as they dominated their respective divisions at Woodstock Raceway at Connell Park on Thursday evening, Aug. 6.

A two-time N.B. Breeders Stakes winner as a two-year-old, Going For Blood took home another trophy in her successful return to Connell Park for trainer/driver Kenny Arsenault and Prince Edward Island owners Peter Smith and Gerald Morrissey.

Leaving from the outside post five in the $12,900 filly division, Going For Blood got her nose to the quarter pole first and expanded her lead to 5-3/4 lengths by the time she reached the finish line. The Blood Money-Rolling Going Gone filly clocked fractions of :29.4, :59 and 1:28.4 en route to the 1:58.1 triumph, with Lady Spencer (Colin DeCourcey) closing wide from the back off cover to place. Early leader Stormys Hush Money (Wayne Watson) followed in the pocket and inherited third-place after being interfered with at the wire by Nevaeh Divine (Colin Sheppard).

An Atlantic Sires Stakes winner two starts ago, Going For Blood was sent postward as the 1-4 favourite and paid $2.70 to win. She now has six career victories and earnings of $74,148 from 25 races.

Driven by Michael Downey, Fire And Blood prevailed in the $13,400 colt division for his second straight stakes score at Connell Park following up his Dawn & Dr. Ted Bremner Memorial Stakes victory last week for trainer Ellen Stevenson and owner Dr. Mitchell Downey of Saint John, N.B.

Leaving from post five in the seven-horse field, Fire And Blood bypassed a four-hole and targeted the top as an early front-end breaker was taken out wide. Fire And Blood pushed ahead of Mr Harris (Mark Haig) on top as they completed a 30-second quarter before clearing in front of grandstand on the way to the half in :58.1. Fire And Blood raced on to three-quarters in 1:28 with a three-wide McLovin (Keith Legge) closing in but that rival couldn't handle the final turn. Left clear on top turning for home, Fire And Blood cruised to the wire in 1:58.2 with Kapueno (Ryan Desroche) closing within a quarter-length for second and Shekhan (Colin Sheppard) getting up for third despite being bothered by the final-turn breaker.

Fire And Blood was the 2-1 favourite and paid $6.50 to win. The Blood Money-Pagoon colt, who was a N.B. Breeders Stakes winner last August, now has six career victories in 21 starts and $48,929 in purse earnings.

Charlotte Ranch of Mount Hebron, N.B. bred both stakes winners.

Stevenson and the Downeys swept the late Daily Double, also winning with favourite Nuttin But Finesse, who wired the field in the $2,500 Winners Over class for the second week in a row. Now a 41-time career winner, the eight-year-old son of Art Major-Nuttin But Trouble took this week's contest by 1-3/4 lengths over Party Place (Ryan Desroche) in 1:55.1, two-fifths of a second faster than his double-digit-length romp last time.

To view Thursday's harness racing results, click the following link: Thursday Results - Woodstock Connell Park.

(Standardbred Canada; photo of Fire And Blood from a previous win)