The mother and daughter team of Catrina and Marissa Stephens brought in the New Year with bang at the Bermuda Equestrian Centre.

Rookie driver Marissa swept both heats in the 1:09/1-1:12/4 division at the helm of her mother’s mare, Gold Legacy, with victory in the second and final heat especially sweet for the 12-year-old driver as she clocked 1:07/4 to advance to the faster 1.08/1-1:09 time bar.

“After my second race I was definitely very surprised about me getting in a new time bar and very excited,” she told The Royal Gazette.

“I am a lot more confident in the pony and very optimistic in being able to proceed.”

The promising driver is following in the footsteps of her mother, former competitor Catrina.

“Watching her is like watching myself and it has just brought out so much confidence in her,” she said.

“She's a completely different child now from when she started, so it’s definitely heart- warming to see that she wants to follow in my footsteps.

“Now I know how my mother [Rebecca Latham] felt watching me do my rookie season because it's heart-warming but at the same time it does make you a bit nervous. She never raced; she stood there and watched me, so now I know how she feels.”

Marissa is thrilled to be carrying on the family legacy in the bike.

“I have been helping my mother since I was little, so it's been a big dream come true being able to race,” she said.

“My mother helps me a lot and it is great being able to have someone that has been there before and knows the struggles of being a woman in a mostly male sport. It’s a lot easier as she understands how I feel.”

The Christian Victory Academy student, who has eleven wins under her belt so far, is also grateful for the ongoing support she receives from her grandmother, uncle David Burrows Jr and team-mate Jashaun Young.

Stephens was one of two rookie drivers recording sweeps and advancing to the next time bar, with Liam Stones at the helm of Belhaven Stables’s seven-year-old stallion Reel Desire competing in the 1:08/1-1:09/0 division.

The 15-year-old Mount Saint Agnes student’s time of 1:07/1 in the second and final heat moved him up intro the 1:06/3-1:08 time bar and was also the fastest he’s run this season.

“The pony was in good form and running well, in particular the second race where we started on the outside,” he said.

“The other horse [Victoria’s Secret] started fast and we both ran season’s bests in that race.”

It was another memorable day for Belhaven Stables as their four-year-old gelding Smart Machine and driver Candyce Martins equalled the season’s fastest time (1:01/4), which they already held, in the Free for All division.

Martins (three) had the most wins by a driver while Teshi Zuill, Kaleb Camara, Philip Correia, Tahzil Flood, Stephens and Stones had two each.

The New Year’s Day event also featured the popular Powder Puff races, which were won by Erin Wheatley, Kesay Bell, Xanaje DeGraff, Logan Flood and Chicago Matthie.

Samantha Hayward, the Driving Horse and Pony Club president, summed up the Boxing Day and New Year’s Day races as a resounding success.

“Two really super race days and I am really thrilled about both of them,” she said.

“We had a great turnout and great support from our vendors. They were two amazing race days and really good vibes in a family atmosphere.

“We had some of the fastest times. Smart Machine did a 1:01/4 and Red October is right on his heels, so it's a great indication of what the second half of the season is going to bring with these two ponies.

“Also the rookies [Stones and Stephens] are tied with 11 wins each and both recorded times in the 1:07 range on New Year’s Day, which I am also thrilled about. These two young riders are doing so well.”