A longtime staple on the Maritimes stakes circuit, the Carl and Marg MacKenzie Memorial Stakes will be featured when racing returns to Truro Raceway this Friday, Sept. 6 with five $9,000+ divisions -- three for three-year-old pacing fillies and two for three-year-old pacing colts.  

In the first colt division (Race 5), Jackies Boy comes in off a track record-setting performance at Woodstock Raceway in the $50,000 Barrieau-McIsaac Memorial Stakes last weekend when he smoked the three-year-old pacers in 1:54.4 for driver Myles Heffernan Sr. and his son Myles Jr., who trains and owns the speedy son of Tobago Cays. Jackies Boy will start from post five. He’ll face off against the perennial tough Tobins Chester, who has seven wins in 10 seasonal starts, including five Atlantic Sires Stakes “A” events, but was three lengths back of Jackies Boy in finishing third at Woodstock.  He has drawn post two for driver Jason Hughes, trainer Ashley Gamester and owner Donald MacRae of Vernon Bridge, P.E.I. 

In the second colt division (Race 8), Merigo Magic drew post one for driver Adam Merner and trainer Melissa Rennie and comes in off a very sharp second-place finish to Jackies Boy in the Barrieau-McIsaac. The son of Tobago Cays holds a seasonal record of 11 on-the-board finishes in 12 starts this season, including six wins, for owners Mike May, Herman McQuaid, Derrick Cameron and Ian Walker, all of P.E.I.  Tackling him from post three will be Pauls Crown for driver Marc Campbell and trainer Brent Campbell.  Fresh off a new lifetime best in 1:54.4 in an overnight event at Charlottetown Driving Park, he sports a 2-6-2 record in 14 starts for Grayland Farms of Elleslie, P.E.I., and Joseph Gamba of Gulf Shores, N.S.

On the filly side, in the first division (Race 3), Starship Beauty will leave from post three and has been finding her form recently, including an impressive victory in the Lady Slipper Stakes Gold division two starts back and a solid second to Galway Girl in an overnight event, both at Charlottetown.  The Arthur Blue Chip filly is trained by Kyle Williams and will be driven by David Dowling for owner Dads Without Abs of Fredericton, P.E.I.  Also contending in the first division and leaving from post two is Miss Wicked for driver Corey MacPherson and trainer Joe Baxter.  The daughter of Mcwicked had success earlier this summer at Truro, taking a division of the Frank and Beth Stanfield Stakes and comes in off an easy 1:57.4 win in an overnight event last week at Summerside Raceway.  She sports a 3-1-0 record in eight starts this season for owner/breeder Blaine Thibeau of Kensington, P.E.I.

In the second filly division (Race 10), last year’s Diamond Classic champion Chip Of Evil returns to the Truro oval and has post five for driver Corey MacPherson in a compact field of six. The Arthur Blue Chip filly is in fine form, with two back-to-back victories in  Lady Slipper and Atlantic Sires Stakes “A” action, setting a new lifetime mark of 1:54.4 in her latest at Charlottetown for trainer Eddy Doucette and the Inarush Stable of Kensington, P.E.I. Competing against her will be the locally owned and trained Saulsbrook Feisty, who will leave from post two and will be driven by Paul Langille for trainer Carrie Saunders, who co-owns the filly with Lois Saunders of Bible Hill, N.S. This season, Saulsbrook Feisty has won divisions both the Stanfield Stakes and the Phil Pinkney and has three wins in seven starts.

In the third filly division (Race 13), although it’s a compact field of six, there is a lot of quality in the field. Zendayas First Lady comes in off a career-best 1:57.1 score in an overnight event at Charlottetown and will look to tangle with stakes types in here after being a cheque-getter in Atlantic Sires Stake “A” action this season. Myles Heffernan Sr. will drive the daughter of Arthur Blue Chipfor trainer Stephen Quinn for owner John Quinn of Charlottetown, P.E.I. Goodmorning Nova is looking to rebound and re-capture the winning form that made her among the best fillies in the division last season, having not hit the board in her latest three starts, but prior to that winning three in a row -- two of those win were at Truro in the Stanfield and Turner stakes. She will leave from post five and be driven by Jason Hughes for trainer Ashley Gamester and owners Melissa Banks of Summerside, P.E.I., and Jason Williams of McNeills Mills, P.E.I. Miss Dutton comes in with three wins and a second-place finish in her past four starts and set a new lifetime mark of 1:55.0 in her latest in the Lady Slipper at Charlottetown.  Corey MacPherson will drive for trainer Kuri White and the Shoulda Been Onabeach Stable of Charlottetown, P.E.I.  

In the $2,500 Winners Over top class, veteran war horse American Risk will look to win on home turf after setting a new lifetime mark o 1:53 during Old Home Week in P.E.I. Owned by the Risky Bizz Group of Truro, N.S., and trained by George Rennison, the eight-year-old gelding has picked up six wins and hit the board in 12 of 13 starts this season and will be driven by Corey MacPherson from post seven.  Joining him in the field is Rollwithhottytoddy, who was a game second behind Roll Em at Truro in the Lindsay Construction Cup Invitational in July and won a division of the P.E.I. Colt Graduate Series on Aug. 24 at Charlottetown. Myles Heffernan will driver for owner/trainer Trevor Hicken of Montague, P.E.I. Also in the field are former Gold Cup and Saucer winner Time To Dance and Truro Raceway’s most improved horse, Fifth Estate, who has marched his way up the class ladder to the top class for trainer/driver Ernie Laffin.

Post time for the race card is 6:30 p.m. Atlantic time.

To view Friday's harness racing entries, click the following link: Friday Entries - Truro Raceway.

(With files from Truro Raceway)