Our Girl Annie and driver Corey MacPherson prevailed in a photo finish to take the featured $23,600 Maritimer Stakes for three-year-old pacing fillies on an action-packed Friday (Aug. 4) at Woodstock Raceway NB.
MacPherson worked out a perfect pocket trip for favourite Our Girl Annie, following Singing Ramona (Marc Campbell) through fractions of :30.1, :59.4 and 1:29.3 over the 'good' track before catching her foe at the wire. Our Girl Annie prevailed in 1:59 by a neck in the photo finish to earn her third straight stakes win for trainer Eddy Doucette. Woodmere Jade (Myles Heffernan Sr.) rounded out the triactor finishing 7-1/2 lengths behind.
Doucette trains the homebred Arthur Blue Chip filly, who is now 11-for-17 in her career and approaching the $100,000 mark in earnings, for Kensington, P.E.I. owners Blaine, Jessica and Jennifer Thibeau.
Earlier on the card, Marc Campbell celebrated a driving milestone after winning a pair of co-feature events with his own trainees. Freddie was victorious in the $4,000 John Davies Memorial Trot then Plain Jane won the $5,000 second leg of the Atlantic Aged Mares Pacing Series to help the Orwell, P.E.I. horseman reach 3,000 career wins in the sulky.
The popular veteran trotter Freddie fought off Marauder Seelster (Ivan Davies) and the Owen Davies-trained Gone Madigan (Todd Trites) in a 2:04 mile to prevail by half a length. Landon Campbell owns the 11-year-old Majestic Son gelding, who notched his 83rd career win.
Following up a victory in the first round of the Atlantic distaff series at Truro Raceway, favourite Plain Jane led most of the way to win the Standardbred Canada-sponsored second leg in 1:58.4 by 4-3/4 lengths over Therealprincess (Dr. Mitchell Downey), with Vines To Heaven (Trites) inheriting the show honours after Chelski (MacPherson) went on an extended break when challenging in the stretch. The five-year-old homebred daughter of Shadow Play is owned by Leigh and Faith Gavin of Tignish, P.E.I.
Campbell also drove the Luke Burke-trained mare D Gs Elsa to a 2:01 victory in the $2,500 Winners Over Pace to push his win count to 3,001. He moved the nine-year-old daughter of Shanghai Phil to the lead with a lap to go and kept Privilege (Trites) and favourite Winter Blast (MacPherson) at bay in her provincial debut for owner Robin Burke of Brackley, P.E.I.
American History and driver Dale Spence capped off the Friday card with a dominant score in the $8,000 Kelti Burnett Memorial Pace for owner Patrick Hill of Fredericton, N.B. Trained by MacKenzie Spence, the New Brunswick newcomer sailed through fractions of :28.4, :57.4 and 1:26.4 en route to the 1:55.1 triumph over a pair of Jennifer Doyle trainees as No Plan Intended (MacPherson) and Mantario (Heffernan Sr.) circled three-wide from the backfield for the minor rewards. The eight-year-old millionaire son of American Ideal earned his 40th career win as he eyes a starting spot in the upcoming Gold Cup & Saucer.
To view Friday's harness racing results, click the following link: Friday Results - Woodstock Raceway NB.