Therealprincess, a $10,000 yearling purchase from the 2020 Atlantic Classic Yearling Sale, is paying off tenfold in her young career.
In just 21 lifetime starts, the three-year-old pacing princess has surpassed $100,000 in purse earnings and will look to add to that lucrative sum in Saturday's Maritimer Stakes at Exhibition Park Raceway.
Owned by trainer Eddy Doucette, breeder Blaine Thibeau and partners Gord MacLeod and Grant Mann, the daughter of Source Of Pride has provided many thrills to her connections, including 14 victories.
Her latest win came over Northside Downs in an Atlantic Sires Stakes event in 1:57. She took a lifetime mark of 1:54.3, a divisional track record at Truro Raceway, when winning the Donnie & George Turner Memorial Stakes earlier this year. Undefeated in her sophomore season, she will look to stretch her win streak from nine to 11 on Saturday.
Corey MacPherson is the regular driver for the filly and will again take the reins for the challenging two-heat Maritimer Stakes. It's a test of endurance and strategy by the drivers involved. MacPherson has driven the filly in all but one of her career starts and to say they have been a dynamic duo is an understatement.
Therealprincess is one of a dozen fillies vying for the Maritimer crown. A pair of $7,000 eliminations and the $10,000 final will be contested on the afternoon program. She has drawn post two in the first elimination and is the 5-2 morning line choice.
The biggest threat in her elimination appears to be JJ Scarlett, who has a lifetime mark of 1:54.4 taken over Summerside Raceway this year. Trained by Walter Walker, she's a daughter of Tobago Cays who has close to $78,000 in the bank. Redmond Doucet will drive from post three.
The first elimination also includes the New Brunswick-owned Orrsterror from the Gilles Barrieau stable. Owned by breeder Dale Orr of Saint John and Robert Orr of Oak Bay, she has a great post to work with from the inside.
The second elimination appears to be a little bit more wide open. The 5-2 morning line choice, Cougar On A Terr, comes off two stakes wins in her last three starts and has the benefit of post one. She's another Walter Walker trainee from Nova Scotia and has a 1:55.1 lifetime mark. Donald Gillis will be in the sulky.
Tobins Diva and high percentage trainer Kevin MacLean will have New Brunswick native Dale Spence on board and is another threat in this one. She's got a mark of 1:56.1 over Red Shores Charlottetown.
KCS Starlite is another contender in the second elimination from post six for driver Stephen Trites and New Brunswick owners Don Bishop, Bruce MacDonald and trainer Charlie Miles.
The top four finishers from the Race 8 and Race 9 eliminations will advance to the final, which is carded as the Race 13 finale.
The Maritimer is just one of the key events on the Exhibition Park Raceway card presented by Horse Racing New Brunswick. The Milton Downey Memorial Stakes, the Rod Goguen Memorial Pace and the Standardbred Canada Atlantic Aged Pacing Mares Series also highlight the best card of racing in New Brunswick in recent memory with more than $70,000 in purse money up for grabs.
To view Saturday's harness racing entries, click on the following link: Saturday Entries - Exhibition Park Raceway.
(With files from HRNB)