Leading drivers Gilles Barrieau and Todd Trites dominated Saturday afternoon’s 15-race card at Exhibition Park Raceway scoring a handful of wins over the sloppy track. And to top off the day, they each pulled off an upset victory in a pair of Atlantic Sires Stakes divisions
for two-year-old pacing fillies.
Barrieau won five races on the card including the first $9,800 ATSS event with outside starter A As Glory. The Carlspur-Dies Morning Glory filly advanced on the outside and cleared the lead ahead of breaker Malabrigo (Marc Campbell) at the half-mile mark before drawing away by five and a half lengths. The winning time was 2:04.2. Malabrigo recovered from her miscue to place while a rough-gaited Cash An Clay (Kenny Arsenault) got back on track to finish third.
A As Glory paid $27.10 to win for the third time in five career starts. Barrieau trains the filly, who entered the race fresh off a victory in the PEI Colt Stakes, for owner-breeder Andrew Ward of Saint John, N.B.
Barrieau also scored victories with veteran pacer Albertajamesalbert ($2.80) for trainer Serge Otis, E F Fantasia ($8.50) for Raymond Francoeur, Dans Ideal ($4.30) for Paul Langille and Texas Treasure ($5.60) for Brian Embleton.
Among Trites’ four winners was R Es Nancy in the other ATSS division. The Astronomical-Kona Queen filly left from the outside post position and wired the field in 2:04.3. She held off Putnams Glory (Barrieau) to win by three-quarters of a length while April Dawns Star (Aresenault) finished third.
The Donald Sweet trainee paid $35 to win. Melvin Willis of Cambridge, Ont. owns the filly, who won her second (consecutive) race in 10 starts.
Trites also won the $2,000 Winners Over Pace with front-stepper Joseph Micheal ($3.40) in 2:00.3 for trainer Eric Wilson. The four-year-old son of Jennas Beach Boy-Jaydexter notched his seventh win in 24 starts this year for owners Capital A Investments Ltd. of Lower Cambridge, N.B. and Valerie Phelan of Geary, N.B.
Trites' other winners were Fundyanna ($10.30) for Wilson and the Robert MacNeill-trained Magical Alex ($6.30).
After today's card, Barrieau maintains a 19 point lead in the track's drivers standings over Trites with 48 wins.
To view Saturday's harness racing card, click on the following link: Tags