Horse Racing New Brunswick has sent out a release previewing the stakes-filled program of racing that will take place this Saturday (September 2) at Exhibition Park Raceway.
The contents of HRNB’s release appears below.
Best Card in NB Racing Saturday at EPR
Exhibition Park Raceway in Saint John will be the home of the absolute best card of racing in 2017 in the picturesque province of New Brunswick on Saturday afternoon at 1:00 p.m.
Horse Racing New Brunswick, in partnership with its generous sponsors along with the New Brunswick Standardbred Breeders Owners Association, will showcase a total of 13 exciting dashes.
Not only will it be the biggest sanctioned race card of the season, it brings with it the Maritimes’ most unique and challenging races: the lucrative Maritimer Stake for three-year-old pacing fillies.
Saturday's mammoth card of racing will also feature the $4,500 Milton Downey Memorial and the timeless classic stake, the Williamson Stake, for Atlantic Canada's best two-year-old pacers.
Race 1 will catapult the action underway starting at 1:00 p.m. Besides the talent of horses amassed for Saturday's card, some of Atlantic Canada's top drivers and trainers will showcase their horses.
Todd Trites, the leading driver in New Brunswick this season, will drive in ten of the 13 dashes, including the coveted Williamson Stake, with each division carrying purses of $5,500. Trites will also pilot one of trainer Earl Watt's pupils in the prestigious Maritimer.
Gilles Barrieau, one of the most talented drivers to ever come out of New Brunswick, will be in Saint John on Saturday and will suit up in eight of the 13 races. Barrieau, who has been recognized nationally for his driving skills and horsemanship, heads into the card with over $230,000 in seasonal earnings and a stellar .375 driving average.
Saturday's free-for-all pacers will lock heads for a purse of $4,500 in the Milton Downey Memorial, co-sponsored by the Downey family. In honour of the Saint John businessman and horseman, he is the patriarch of the Downey family, which is a fixture in the New Brunswick racing industry.
Leading the way will be Junebugs Baby, winner of the classic free-for-all race the Walter Dale Memorial in 1:58.4 for trainer/driver Myles Heffernan earlier this season at EPR.. He will bust the gate from Post 4 and is well known for his eye-popping gate speed.
Dr. Mitch Downey will pilot Fall Bliss from the rail spot and has been ultra impressive the last two years in New Brunswick, including six wins at his home base in Saint John. Other starters include Good Friday Three (Gary Chappell), Elm Grove Kaboom (Earl Smith) and His Boy Elroy (Bernard MacCallum).
It is interesting to note that all three provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island will be represented by owners, trainers, drivers, grooms and fans. The card displays the far reaching audience it has attracted for the action packed program.
There will be four divisions of the Williamson Stake with over $20,000 in purse money. The two eliminations of the Maritimer, along with the final on the same card, thus carrying a total purse of over $22,000 in prize money. This makes it by far the richest day of racing in the province this season. It also marks the final day of a very successful Saint John Exhibition.
To view the harness racing entries for Saturday at EPR, click the following link: Saturday Entries – Exhibition Park Raceway.