Horse Racing New Brunswick will play host to an action-packed Saturday afternoon, Sept. 28 program at Connell Park in Woodstock with more than $90,000 in purse money up for grabs.
Saturday's richest stakes is the Dawn & Dr. Ted Bremner Memorial for three-year old pacers with $21,000 divisions for the colts and fillies.
Although it's a short field of five, the colt division is stacked with five horses with combined seasonal earnings over $250,000.
Leading the way is Tobins Chester, who has won back-to-back races including a 1:54.1 victory in his last start with Jason Hughes driving for trainer Ashley Gamester and owner Donald MacRae. The son of Shanghai Phil has won more than $85,000 this year and took a new record of 1:53.1 over Charlottetown Driving Park.
Not far behind in earnings are the duo of Merigo Magic and Jackies Boy. Merigo Magic is the winner of his last two outings including a 1:54.3 lifetime mark taken last week at Charlottetown. Adam Merner does the training and driving. The Tobago Cays gelding owned by Mike May, Herman McQuaid, Derrick Cameron and Ian Walker. He's bankrolled more than $75,000 this year.
Jackies Boy, another son of Tobago Cays, also has more than $75,000 earned this season. He loves Connell Park where he captured the richest race ever at the half-mile track, the $50,000 Barrieau-McIsaac Stakes this season. Myles Heffernan Sr. drives for his son, Myles Heffernan Jr.
Saturday will also feature a $21,000 filly division of the Bremner Stakes with winners of approximately $180,000 in seasonal earnings. Leading the way is the Tom Weatherbie trainee Fern Hill Indigo, who has just over $51,000 in 2024 earnings and a record of 1:56.2, taken at Charlottetown. Brodie MacPhee drives the Malicious filly for Next Generation Stable.
Miss Dutton is the fastest of the field this year with a 1:55 eye-popping mile at Charlottetown. Adam Merner will drive the Rollwithitharry filly for trainer Kuri White.
Maritimer champion Miss Wicked is back Saturday at Connell Park and will have Corey MacPherson back on board for trainer Joseph Baxter.
New Brunswick Breeders Stakes go in two divisions, one for two-year-old pacing colts and and one for the fillies. The Ron Matheson-trained My Happy Place and driver Gilles Barrieau headline the filly division with the Landon Campbell stable's DJ Mustang, also driven by Barrieau, the early favourite on the colt side. Both divisions will carry purses of $15,000.
Eight starters will engage in battle in the $8,000 Rod Goguen Memorial for invitational pacers. What a field that's been assembled to honour the memory of Rod Goguen, a popular Exhibition Park Raceway horseman.
Batterup Hanover, trained and driven by Paul Langille, is fresh off a gate-to-wire 1:53.3 win in his last outing off a front end effort at Charlottetown. His inside post is a definitive advantage.
Post two has the locally undefeated Press Time, who has reeled off four straight wins at his new home track for owner Zach Cougle and trainer Averil Hunter. He picks up the more than capable services of Corey MacPherson this week. The seven-year-old son of Sportswriter won over Connell Park in 1:54.1 this season.
Two Tom Weatherbie trainees are side by side as Fern Hill General, with Brodie MacPhee, and Island Beach Boy, with Adam Merner, will leave from post three and four, respectively. Fern Hill General has the fastest win of the pair in 1:53.3 at Charlottetown.
Nova Scotia standout pacer American Risk will leave from post five and will have a familiar driver in the bike, New Brunswick's Todd Trites. He's had a solid year with a 1:53 win at Charlottetown and seven wins for the Risky Bizz Group.
Rollwithhottytoddy and catch-driver Gilles Barrieau is one of two entries from the Trevor Hicken stable and has a 1:53.1 win earlier this year at Truro Raceway. Tony Too Tall is a relative newcomer to the Maritimes but has been charting in the 1:53 range. Myles Heffernan Sr. will drive him from post six.
Rounding out the field is Bee Two Bee, who is coming in clicking on all cylinders with two straight wins for driver Jason Hughes, trained Ashley Gamester and owner Donald MacRae. He's the co-holder of the Charlottetown track record of 1:50.1 he equalled in 2023. He recently captured a division of the Richard Campbell Memorial at Charlottetown.
Post time for Saturday's 10-dash program is at 1 p.m.
Horse Racing New Brunswick would like to thank all the horsepeople, local volunteers and fans who continue to support horse racing in New Brunswick.
To view Saturday's harness racing entries, click the following link: Saturday Entries - Woodstock Raceway NB.
(With files from Horse Racing New Brunswick)