Exhibition Park Raceway in Saint John will be the home of the absolute best card of harness 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 it's generous sponsors along with the New Brunswick Standardbred Breeders Owners Association showcase a total of thirteen ( 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 one 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 thirteen dashes including the coveted Williamson stakes with each division carrying purses of $ 5500. Todd will also pilot one of trainer Earl Watt's pupils in the prestigious Maritimer.
Gilles Barrieau, one of the most talented driver's to ever come out of New Brunswick will be in Saint John on Saturday and will suit up in eight of the thirteen races. Barrieau, who has been recognized nationally for his driving skills and horsemanship, goes 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 $ 4500 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 who are fixtures 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 E.P.R.. He will bust the gate from post-four 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. This 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 and two eliminations of the Maritimer along with the final on the same card 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.