Sophomore stakes action was the main event for the 2022 season opener on Saturday (May 14) at Exhibition Park Raceway.
As expected, Brumby captured the $4,900 New Brunswick Breeders Stakes for three-year-old male pacers. Never better than he was on this day, Brumby towed driver Mark Bradley to the position of command and played catch-me-if-you-can through fractions of :29.2, 1:00, and 1:29.1 before rambling home in :29.4 for the 1:59 decision and a new speed badge in the process.
Jamie Smith trains Brumby (Pang Shui - Anatevka) for Five Guys Horses N Lies of Charlottetown, P.E.I. The bay gelding sports three lifetime wins in 13 tries, with two of those coming at EPR in N.B. Breeders Stakes competition.
The $5,500 N.B. Breeders Stakes for sophomore pacing fillies was also won on the front end, but in this case by one of the longest shots on the board as KCs Starlite and Stephen Trites posted a 23-1 upset over favoured Mermaid Magic (Bradley) in 2:01.1.
Charlie Miles owns and trains the daughter of Source Of Pride - Allamerican Shaina with fellow Fredericton residents Donald Bishop and Bruce MacDonald. The win came in her first start of the season, and was her third lifetime victory from eight attempts.
It took a photo to determine the winner of the $2,500 Winners Over Pace as pacesetter G A Speed Sammy (Bradley) tried to hold off favoured pocket-sitter Frontier Cruise (John Davidson, Sr.) in a 1:59.3 mile. The photo determined that Frontier Cruise got up in the final strides for the victory, with Thats Some Plan another three lengths back in third.
Frontier Cruise (Sunshine Beach - Cuzurinittowinit) was making his first start in New Brunswick for trainer Jean Belliveau and co-owner Jean Charles Belliveau after the tandem claimed the pacer from a start at Woodbine Mohawk Park last October. He now sports 11 wins and 20 top-three finishes from 51 career starts with earnings of more than $62,000.
Live harness racing continues at the Saint John half-mile oval on Saturdays through to the end of June, with a single date in July and two cards in September before concluding the season on October 15.
For results from Saturday's card, click the following link: Saturday Results - Exhibition Park Raceway.