Both $26,450 divisions of the Frank and Beth Stanfield Memorial Stakes for three-year-old pacing fillies were decided by just a nose with Woodmere Articblue and Miss Oromocto crowned the winners on Sunday afternoon at Truro Raceway.
Woodmere Articblue prevailed off a two-hole trip behind Invader M, who was challenged by favourite Jann Down as she raced through panels of :28.3, :59.1 and 1:28.2. Woodmere Articblue nosed out Jann Down at the wire in 1:58.4, with The Good Wife closing from the backfield for third.
Danny Romo drove the Articulator-Blue Violet filly, who was also a winner in the Carl and Marg MacKenzie Memorial Stakes earlier this month at Truro, for trainer Ken Collins and Nova Scotia owners Tanya Tremblett of Sydney Mines and Stevi Jardine of Georges River. She is now two-for-six on the year with $21,919 banked in purse earnings.
Driven by Mark Haig, Miss Oromocto carved out fractions of :29, :58 and 1:28.1 while rebuffing a challenge from Woodmere Dancenart. She then held off the pocket-pulling Elm Grove Joanette and wide-rallying favourite, Thebigbamtheory, to win by a nose in a career-best 1:59.
Melvin Land trains and shares ownership of the Driven To Win-Zbojnicka filly with Sharon Burchill of Oromocto, N.B. The win was Miss Oromocto's third in nine seasonal starts and boosted her earnings to $23,392.
To view Sunday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Sunday Results - Truro Raceway.