Two opening-heat divisions of The Maritimer, co-sponsored by Standardbred Canada and the NBSBOA, for three-year-old pacing fillies have been drawn for this Saturday’s (August 29) program of live racing at Exhibition Park Raceway.
Each of the five-filly divisions will be raced for a purse of $6,501, and the top four fillies from each division will advance to the $8,668 second heat, which will be contested later on the program.
The opening-heat divisions have been carded as Race 4 and Race 5, while the second-heat finale has been carded as the last dash on the program (Race 8). The card will kick off with a 1 p.m. first-race post time.
Woodmere Dancenart has drawn Post 3 for the first of the opening-heat divisions and has been installed as the 5-2 morning line favourite. She is owned by Morah Kerr of Greenfield, Nova Scotia and Phonsie MacEachern of Port Hood, Nova Scotia. The brown Articulator filly is trained and driven by Clare MacDonald. Woodmere Dancenart heads into The Maritimer on a two-race win streak that includes victories in a $12,980 Atlantic Sires Stakes event and the $12,000 Lady Slipper, both of which took place at Red Shores’ Charlottetown Driving Park.
Jann Down (PP4, Gilles Barrieau, 3-1) and Miss Oromocto (PP1, Mark Haig, 7-2) are the other two fillies in the first opening-heat division that have caught the eye of the morning line oddsmaker.
Party Rockin has drawn the outside Post 5 in the second of the opening-leg divisions for trainer/driver Danny Romo, although the Ameripan Gigolo filly has still secured the status of morning line favourite (5-2) for the dash. The filly has yet to visit the winner’s circle this season and has tasted victory in just one of her 14 career starts. Owners Ian Banks of Truro, Nova Scotia and Susan Karrel of Great Village, Nova Scotia hope that their filly upends the rest of the field on Saturday.
The morning line oddsmaker has also established Invader M (PP4, Gilles Barrieau, 3-1) and Casa Miasa (PP1, Bernard McCallum, 7-2) as the other top selections in the early odds.
Opening Heat
Division 1
Post – Horse – Driver – Morning Line
1 – Miss Oromocto – M. Haig – 7-2
2 – The Good Wife – T. Trites – 6-1
3 – Woodmere Dancenart – M. Macdonald – 5-2
4 – Jann Down – G. Barrieau – 3-1
5 – Woodmere Articblue – D. Romo – 4-1
Opening Heat
Division 1
Post – Horse – Driver – Morning Line
1 – Casa Miasa – B. Mccallum – 7-2
2 – J J Dazzler – T. Trites – 4-1
3 – Imastandout – S. Hubbard – 6-1
4 – Invader M – G. Barrieau – 3-1
5 – Party Rockin – D. Romo – 5-2
To view the harness racing entries for Saturday at EPR, click the following link: Saturday Entries – Exhibition Park Raceway.