Defending champion Roll Em won the $7,500 Lindsay Construction Cup Invitational to cap off the eventful Sunday, July 7 afternoon at Truro Raceway that included stakes action for three-year-old pacing fillies and older mares.

Roll Em, who matched the older gelding track record of 1:51.3 in last year's edition of the Lindsay Construction Cup Invitational, was an impressive winner again over the off track in rein to Marc Campbell.

Watching parked out from third as the early insider leavers settled in line, Campbell rolled the 1-4 favourite to the front to clear after a :26.4 opener over the 'good' track. Roll Em led to the half in :55.2 with company coming from the back of the pack as Bee Two Bee and Gilles Barrieau progressed alongside as they raced to three-quarters in 1:23.4. However, Roll Em fought back through the turn and rolled on to a 2-1/4-length victory in 1:53.1. Rollwithhottytoddy and Myles Heffernan Sr. closed for second while Bee Two Bee held on for third.

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Roll Em has hit the board in all six of his starts this season, adding four wins to bring his career total to 32. He is owned by trainer Brent Campbell along with P.E.I. partners Brady Doyle of Stratford, Ryan MacLeod of Souris and the Stratford-based Savage Stable. The six-year-old Time To Roll-Feetonthedashboard gelding paid $2.70 to win.

Older pacing mares had their turn in the spotlight as the Atlantic Aged Pacing Mares Series kicked off on Sunday with a pair of $3,265 divisions comprising the opening leg. 

Redlandbethanyjean returned to the track she conquered with a record performance nearly two years ago and kicked off the series with a 1:56 victory for driver Brodie MacPhee and trainer Tom Weatherbie.

The four-year-old distaffer, who set the 1:54.4 two-year-old filly track record in the 2022 Phil Pinkney Stakes, won her second appearance at the Truro half-miler with a first-over move from mid-pack heading down the backstretch the final time. Redlandbethanyjane took the lead in deep stretch and prevailed by one length with the current mares divisional track record holder Acefortyfour Dome (1:52.3) closing off her cover to snatch the runner-up honours for Barrieau over the Campbell-driven popular pacesetter, Plain Jane (:27.2, :57.2. 1:26.4).

The Artspeak-Machnbyrd Princess mare has now won three of her last four starts and boasts a dozen career wins for Redland Farms. She paid $4.70 to win as the 6-5 second choice.

MacPhee completed a sweep of the opening leg of the series with Flip The Script making her provincial debut a winning one for trainer Ashley MacDonald.

Flip The Script dominated her division, clearing to command into the backstretch and setting splits of :27.4, :57 and 1:25.2 en route to the 1:53.4 triumph by 2-1/4 lengths. Winning for the 13th time in her career, she matched her lifetime mark taken as a sophomore at Harrah's Philadelphia. Rosetown Mary and Corey MacPherson followed from the pocket in second and Sugar Bowl completed the triactor in rein to Barrieau.

Owned by Kent Livington of Cornwall, P.E.I., the five-year-old American Ideal-Testing Center mare has now won back-to-back starts since arriving in Atlantic Canada from New York late last month for her new connections off a victory in the Mares Open at Buffalo Raceway. Coming off a divisional track record triumph last time out on Canada Day in Woodstock, N.B. -- a first for her trainer -- Flip The Script returned $3.30 to win as the 3-5 bettors' choice. 

Freaky Fanny ($3.70) was the fastest of the three-year-old pacing fillies competing in a quartet of $16,125 divisions of the Frank & Beth Stanfield Memorial Stakes.

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Trained and driven by Mike McGuigan, Freaky Fanny gave way to a parked and pressing Fern Hill Indigo (MacPhee) at the :27.4 quarter mark before retaking the lead and continuing on top to the half in :57.3. Dusty Lane Dixie (Barrieau) offered up a first-over challenge down the backstretch as they raced by three-quarters in 1:26.1, but Freaky Fanny drew clear around the final turn to win in a career-best 1:55 flat. Fern Hill Indigo regained second in the stretch drive with Dusty Lane Dixie fading to third.

Owned by Josh MacDonald of Little Pond, P.E.I., the Artspeak-Silverhill Bunna filly earned her third win in a row and now has five victories and four seconds from 18 career starts.

Saulsbrook Feisty ($3) and Goodmorning Nova ($8.10) each recorded 1:55.4 victories in the Stanfield Stakes for their connections.

Paul Langille sent Saulsbrook Feisty from third to first by the :28.1 quarter mark and led through a half in :58.1 and three-quarters in 1:27.1 with pressing mounting from eventual third-place finisher Woodemere Delta (Barrieau). She shook off that first-over challenger with a :28.3 final frame landing her two lengths on top at the end of a career-best mile. Zendayas Firstlady (Heffernan Sr.) regained second-place after racing in the two-hole throughout. 

Saulsbrook Feisty was also a winner in the Turner Stakes through her first four starts this season and is now eight-for-13 lifetime for trainer Carrie Saunders, who co-owns the Big Jim-First Delight filly with Lois Saunders of Bible Hill, N.S.

Goodmorning Nova extended her stakes win streak to three for Barrieau and trainer Ashley Gamester as the 3-1 second choice caught favoured pacesetter Chip Of Evil (MacPherson) at the finish line. The fractions went in :27.4, :57 and 1:26.1 with Goodmorning Nova fourth and following the cover of Islebetu Islebeatu (MacPhee) into the backstretch. She took a tuck into the pocket for the final turn and shot through the pasing lane to defeat Chil O Evil by a nose with Islebetu Islebeatu right there in third.

The Arthur Blue Chip-Goodmorning Ky has won nine of her 15 career outings for breeder Melissa Banks of Summerside, P.E.I., and co-owner Jason Williams of McNeills Mill, P.E.I.

The other division also ended in a photo finish with even-money favourite Miss Wicked ($4) just holding on by a nose.

After a pair of fillies made early breaks, MacPherson looped Miss Wicked to the lead over Sensational Gal (MacPhee) through a :28.2 opening quarter and proceeded to carve out middle splits of :58.1 and 1:27.4. Parked first-up after regrouping from her miscue, Tobins Hottie (Langille) eventually threw in the towel, but Sensational Gal popped the pocket turning for home with Windemere Saddy (Campbell) closing through the passing lane to put the photo finish camera to work. Miss Wicked got her nose to the wire first in 1:56.4, with Sensational Gal settling for second and Windemere Saddy third.

A back-to-back winner, the homebred Mcwicked-Deviliciously Good filly improved her career record to 3-2-1 from 11 starts for trainer Joseph Baxter and owner Blaine Thibeau of Kensington, P.E.I.

In other action, Truro's weekly $2,500 Winners Over Pace was won by American Risk ($9.80) in wire-to-wire fashion for trainer George Rennison and the local Risky Bizz Group. MacPherson catch-drove the eight-year-old  American Ideal-Kissing Bandit gelding to the 1:54.4 score with Rockin Corona (Darren Crowe) and Risin Horizon (Campbell) more than two lengths behind in second and third, respectively. 

To view Sunday's harness racing results, click the following link: Sunday Results - Truro Raceway.

(Standardbred Canada)