“I’ve been very impressed, she’s been in with top fillies every start and she’s been able to stay with them. I’ve never had a trotting filly that can do this much before.”

That high praise comes from trainer Staffan Lind, who sends out the only Ontario-sired horse in the two- and three-year-old events on Hambletonian Day this Saturday at The Meadowlands. Ontario’s hopes rest on the shoulders of his Manofmanymissions filly Celebrity Eventsy. Much like Ontario Sires Stakes graduate Poof Shes Gone, Celebrity Eventsy will look to make a name for herself stateside in the Jim Doherty Memorial Final (formerly the Merrie Annabelle) before tackling provincial competition.

Bred by Kentuckiana Farms, ‘Eventsy’ was withheld from the fall yearling sales and sold privately under the name Caviart Emilia. Broke and training, she gained new connections in January of 2015.

“It was Bruce Nickells who called me and asked me if I knew anyone who would be interested in buying a two-year-old filly,” Lind told Trot Insider. “I forwarded him to Sam Stathis and after some consideration, he purchased her.”

Stathis, the owner and of Celebrity Farms, based in Goshen, New York, is a man of many disciplines. The founder and CEO of four companies, his extensive experience has led to the creation of multimillion-dollar operations on a domestic and international basis. Born in Greece, he moved to the United States at the age of seven.

His passion for harness racing has been extensive, as both an owner and a driver, with many successful horses bearing the ‘Celebrity’ prefix. In addition to his New York training and breeding operation, Stathis Enterprises purchased the South Florida Trotting Centre in Lake Worth earlier this year. The private purchase of Celebrity Eventsy looks to be a wise investment thus far.

“She’s been good all along,” said Lind. “She showed me right away that she was something special.”

As with many successful racehorses, that ‘something special’ also comes with a bit of sass and diva-like attitude.

“She’s a tall filly with long legs; she almost looks like a Thoroughbred. She is very determined so she’s not always easy to handle,” remarked Lind with a laugh. “Trying to get her into the trailer takes half an hour; she has a mind of her own. She’s matured a lot since she started racing, so she’s all business when she’s on the track. No problems there when she’s hooked up.”

In her elimination on July 31, the trotting filly was sent off the gate straight to the top in a :28.1 first quarter for driver Brett Miller. Hot on her heels was Jim Campbell trainee Broadway Donna and David Miller, who went on to win the elimination in 1:53.3, with Celebrity Eventsy second.

“She’s had a good week since the elimination, no complaints. I think she raced really good in there. She has done everything we’ve asked of her and more; she’s progressed a lot in between these races, so hopefully she can get a little bit better in the final and be in the mix at the finish.”

Broadway Donna will be the filly to beat on Saturday, as she carries a five-race win streak into the final. The morning line 3-5 favourite, Broadway Donna will start from post position three, with Celebrity Eventsy to the inside on the rail.

“Besides (Broadway Donna), I think she’s as good as any of them. She has progressed so much to this point, she’s taking a couple seconds off every time she goes so I wouldn’t be surprised if she could go even faster this Saturday.”

Staked extensively through the rest of the season, Lind and Stathis have an abundance of options when planning the schedule of their rising star. Eligible to the lucrative Ontario Sires Stakes program, she is likely to make her Canadian debut in the coming weeks.

“We’re getting her through this first, but she’s been very sound. I think we can do a lot with her. If we don’t send her north sooner, she’ll likely be in the Peaceful Way at the latest and we’re looking to see if we can find one or two of the [Ontario] Sires Stakes legs that fit her schedule.”

The Jim Doherty Memorial is carded as the second race of the afternoon. After the Doherty, Lind will shift his focus to the main event as he sends out Billy Flynn in the 90th Hambletonian. Once again, Lind has drawn inside a favourite: Billy Flynn has the rail. To their outside, 6-5 favourite Mission Brief.

"We found a problem in his back, and after that he's been good," said Lind, noting that Billy Flynn has responded well to the chiropractic work. "The preparation isn't where I want it to be, we're maybe one race short, but he does feel good at the moment so I think he'll be alright."

Billy Flynn's most recent outing showed signs of that sparkling two-year-old form that boasted a seasonal summary of 8-2-0 in 11 starts. Coming off a 1:52.4 qualifier on July 31, Lind was very pleased with his horse's performance in that prep and pointed to two factors. The mile was brisk, with a :55 opening half and the track was "really loose" in Lind's opinion.

When Billy Flynn heads behind the gate Saturday, he'll have a new driver. Canadian-born Scott Zeron makes his Hambletonian debut.

"He should be able to get out of there and get a good position." said Lind. "[Scott]'s a very talented driver and he was very happy when I told him he was going to drive [Billy Flynn]."

Saturday's Hambletonian card is jam-packed with stakes action, with the Hambletonian, Hambletonian Oaks and Cane Pace televised on CBS Sports Network from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. (EDT) highlighting the sixteen race card. The first race goes to post at 12:00 p.m.