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    Harness racing returns to Woodstock, N.B., this Friday night
Harness racing returns to Woodstock, N.B., this Friday night
Horse Racing. Source: shutterstock.com

Harness racing returns to Woodstock, N.B., this Friday night

Harness racing returns to Woodstock, N.B., this Friday night with the New Brunswick Breeders Stakes as the highlight of the evening.

The event will feature eight races at Connell Park, starting at 6 p.m. 

Horse Racing New Brunswick will showcase two-year-olds in the first leg of the N.B. Breeders Stakes, with a combined purse of $30,000 up for grabs in the freshman colt and filly divisions. These races are scheduled as races four and seven, respectively.

Gilles Barrieau, a New Brunswick Hall of Fame driver and trainer who won six races last Friday, will be back in action, driving in seven of the eight races.

Barrieau will pilot My Happy Place in the $15,000 filly stakes division. The 7-5 morning line favourite, starting from post six, won her debut in the P.E.I. Colt Stakes at Summerside Raceway last month with Barrieau and trainer Ron Matheson, clocking in at 1:59.2. Bred by Charlotte Ranch and Seawind Amg Stbs 2005 Inc., she is a daughter of Shadow Play out of Smilesplace, purchased as a yearling for $31,000 by Patrick Morris of Charlottetown.

In the $15,000 colt division, Adam Merner will drive Here On Earth from the Melissa Rennie Stable. The 9-5 morning line favourite, starting from post two, has consistently performed well in his first three stakes starts. Bred by Clark Bustard, the Bet The Moon-Well Shaded colt was a $9,500 yearling acquisition from the Atlantic Classic Sale and is owned by Jared Perrot and Cory Livingston. Another contender, Like A King, will start from post four with Barrieau driving, trained by Don Milligan, and owned/bred by Jenn Ritchie of Kingston, N.B.

The top overnight race, race six, has a purse of $2,500, with Mantario listed as the 7-5 favourite by race secretary Brent Briggs. Owned by Brock MacEachern of Kingston and trained by Wayne Watson, Mantario will be driven by Todd Trites. Also notable, Therealprincess, trained by Ellen Stevenson and driven by owner Dr. Mitch Downey of Saint John, N.B., is coming off a second-place finish in the Atlantic Aged Pacing Mares Series last Friday.

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