Racing Wraps At Exhibition Park
A seven-race card brought the curtain down on an era of New Brunswick harness racing in Saint John on Sunday (Oct. 16) at Exhibition Park Raceway.
The afternoon’s feature, the $32,640 N.B. Breeders Final for pacing freshmen, went to front-stepping Nannie Bernice in a 1:59 blowout. Driver John Davidson Jr. protected position with the daughter of Artspeak to a :29.1 first quarter with Brookdale Seb the closest pursuer following interference at the start of the race. Gradually, Nannie Bernice widened her advantage on Brookdale Seb through a :58.4 half and to three-quarters in 1:29. She owned four lengths on Brookdale Seb coming for home and stretched farther clear to cross the beam ahead by 7-1/2 lengths. Brookdale Seb settled for second withy Jedi Jim finishing third another 31 lengths behind.
Nannie Bernice, a homebred for trainer Janice Hubbard, collected her sixth victory from eight tries to push her earnings to $26,483. She paid $2.90 to win.
Brumby bested his peers earlier in the card to win the $8,640 Peter & Jeanne Gray Memorial. The three-year-old gelded son of Pang Shui kept his rivals behind through a clip of :29.4, 1:00 and 1:29.4 to stop the clock in 1:59.1, finishing 4-3/4 lengths clear of Big Time Brawler in second. Theodore J Down rounded the field, beaten another 22 lengths.
Jamie Smith trains Brumby for owner Five Guys Horses N Lies. He won his fifth race from 28 starts and has now banked $52,917. David Dowling drove the $2.10 winner.
Dowling returned later to take the debutante co-feature, the $8,640 Malcolm Lawson Memorial, with Mermaid Magic. The Tom Weatherbie-trained daughter of Big Jim applied similar speed tactics to control her competition, setting a tempo of :29.1, :59.2 and 1:30. KCs Starlite mounted a first-over bid into the final turn but levelled off in the straight to leave Mermaid Magic on her own. Mermaid Magic stopped the clock in 2:00 to beat Elm Grove Quest by 1-1/2 lengths while KCs Starlite settled for third.
David Kennedy and F. Ian Smith own Mermaid Magic, a four-time winner from 23 starts and earner of $30,501. She paid $4.50 to win.
Driver Todd Trites and trainer George Rennison took the last race at Exhibition Park Raceway, the $2,500 Ingham Palmer Memorial, with American Risk in 1:57.2. The six-year-old American Ideal gelding raced third while Woodmere Ideal Art carved fractions of :28.3 and :57.3 on the lead. Trites then launched American Risk off the pegs and dug into Woodmere Ideal Art through the final turn before striding clear by 2-1/2 lengths to the finish. Woodmere Ideal Art settled for second and pocket-sitter Blood Money finished third.
American Risk races for owner Risky Bizz Group. He won his 25th race from 85 starts, pushed his bankroll to $96,862 and paid $2.90 to win.
To view Sunday’s harness racing results, click the following link: Sunday Results – Exhibition Park Raceway.
For September 3rd ONLY, please use the Golden Grove Road entrance to access the racetrack. The Saint John Exhibition is occuring at the same time and the only way to access the barn area with vehicles is through the Golden Grove Road entrance.
Time To Dance Goes Wire-to-Wire To Win At Woodstock
Time To Dance went wire-to-wire to capture the $8,000 Kelti Burnett Memorial Pace on Friday (Aug. 5) at Woodstock Raceway in New Brunswick.
Driver-trainer Marc Campbell sent out Time To Dance from Post 2, and the Maritime free-for-all standout took control by turning in fractions of :29, :59 and 1:28.4. Beachin Lindy (Stephen Charlton) following behind the race favourite through three quarters.
Time to Dance headed for home and stopped the clock in 1:55.3, a two three-quarters length victory over Beachin Lindy. American Risk (Dale Spence) finished third in the five-horse field.
A six-year-old A Rocknroll Dance gelding, Time To Dance won for the second straight race and now has five victories in nine starts this year. Owned by Brent Campbell of Charlottetown, P.E.I., and Matthew McDonald of Edwards, Ont., Time To Dance is a 37-time winner in 80 outings and has accrued $187,399 in purses.
He paid $4 to win.
Freddie, with driver-trainer Campbell holding the lines, came up the winner in the $3,000 John H. Davies Memorial Trot Handicap.
The 10-year-old gelding found himself in second place in the four-horse race, as Hallofaride (John Davidson Sr.) cut opening fractions of :29.2 and :58.4.
Freddie, the odds-on choice, moved to the front of the field in a 1:29.4, and came home to win in 1:59.3 by seven lengths. Hallofaride settled for second and Marauder Seelster (Ivan Davies, the son of longtime New Brunswick horseman John H. Davies) was third.
The son of Majestic Son-Circe Hanover won for the third time in nine starts this season. Freddie, owned by the Three Wisemen Stable, has 79 career victories and $192,200 in lifetime earnings.
KCs Starlite claimed the $2,300 Clayton and Shirley Dickenson Memorial - and broke a track record in the process.
The three-year-old pacing filly won in 1:58.4 for driver Stephen Trites, trainer Charles Miles and owners Donald Bishop, Bruce MacDonald and trainer Charles Miles of Fredericton, N.B.
Amirightorwrong owned the previous track record of 2:00.3.
Woodmere Ideal Art, with Kyle Mason in the bike, claimed the $2,500 Winners Over Pace in 1:56.1 for trainer Sifroi Melanson and owner Ultimate Stable of Lakeburn, N.B.
A pair of $6,200 New Brunswick Breeders Stakes divisions were also part of Friday's card.
Nannie Bernice won the two-year-old pacing fillies division in 2:02 for Davidson en route to setting a track record. Fern Hill Treasure held the previous mark of 2:02.4.
Another track record fell in a New Brunswick Breeders Stakes for two-year-old pacing colts. Bernard McCallum drove Brookdale Seb to victory in 2:03.2, surpassing Friendly Fred's former track record of 2:04.
Broodmare Grant Program Announced
Feb. 16, 2021
Horse Racing New Brunswick (HRNB) announced details of its new broodmare grant program. HRNB will offer 10 grants for the purchase of new broodmares. Stipulations for the grant program are as follows:
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Mares must foal in 2021 or be used for breeding to foal in 2022 to be eligible for the grant money. Payment will be issued when mare produces a live foal. Payments will be:
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$2,000 for first live foal
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$250 in Year 2
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$250 in Year 3
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Mares must be owned by a New Brunswick resident and reside in New Bruswick 183 days in the first year of foaling (2021 or 2022) and subsequent years of the program.
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Owners of mares are encouraged to keep current on mares reports for three years. Failure to do so may result in grant being suspended.