A pair of hot horses climbing the ranks will face off with the reigning 2018 preferred pace champion on Saturday evening at Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park.

First race post time is 6:00 P.M. for the 10-dash program with the top pacers squaring off in the race 9 $2,500 preferred pace. Winter Blast and Cartoon Daddy come into the event undefeated since their qualifiers this season but will face their biggest test to date against Euchred who has not been worse than second in the preferred pace so far in the 2018 Summer Meet.

Euchred is the morning line choice from the outside post in the compact field of five with Adam Merner getting the catch driving call for trainer Terry Gallant and owner Kayla Habicht Walker of Inverness, N.S. Front-end control has proven to be crucial in this class so far this season and Cartoon Daddy has the post position advantage to make that happen. Corey MacPherson will drive the Art Major stallion for undefeated trainer Rachel Andrew, while Winter Blast has been razor-sharp in both his 2018 starts. He gets Post 3 with Jason Hughes at the controls for trainer Jennifer Doyle.

Race analyst Les MacIsaac sees a third preferred victory of the season in Euchred’s future.

“Euchred has beaten the bearcats in two of three tries this year and every one of the rivals he's facing tonight is moving up in class,” MacIsaac said. “It looks like the road to the winner’s circle goes through him.”

The field is rounded out by Zero Rate (Kenny Arsenault) and Ashes To Ashes (Gilles Barrieau).

The $2,100 back-up pace in race 7 features Mr Irresistible as the morning line favourite from Post 4 for the combination of driver Hughes and trainer Doyle for owner Danny Birt of Stratford. Other top entries include Keep Coming (Merner) and Adkins Hanover (MacPherson).

For entries, click the following link: Saturday Entries - Charlottetown Driving Park.

(with files from Red Shores)