The stage is set for championship night as the P.E.I. Colt Stakes Graduate Series, presented by JD Marine & Diving Inc., rolls into Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park with the Gold and Grassroots Finals and the Grassroots Consolation on Thursday, Aug. 28.

The $16,000 Graduate Series Gold Final will go as Race 4 with three mares answering the call. Rosetown Mary has been installed as the 5-2 morning-line favourite with trainer Corey MacPherson in the bike. She will aim to break a three-race spell of place finishes and add a fifth victory this year in her 12th start. The five-year-old Pang Shui-Brodys Leona mare will start from post two for the Rosetown Stable and Taylor MacPherson. 

Former Atlantic champion Tobins Brownie, to be driven by trainer Adam Merner, gets the rail at 3-1 morning-line odds looking for her first win since June. The seven-year-old daughter of Stonebridge Terror-Putnam Mackenzie is two-for-12 this year and has hit the board in three of her last four starts for owners Brittany Watts and Sandra Weeks. Galway Girl (Marc Campbell) drew post three and was assigned a 7-2 billing for trainer Landon Campbell and owners Kent and Bernard MacDonald and Jacinta Campbell. The four-year-old Shanghai Phil-Hazel mare comes off a narrow place finish in the Birthplace of Confederation Mares Series Consolation.

The $10,400 Graduate Series Grassroots Final lines up in Race 9 and it is Woodmere Kennedie who drew the rail with Marc Campbell in the bike for owner Mike Pollard and trainer Landon Campbell. The mare has raced against strong mares all summer and is installed as 7-2 third choice on Thursday. Her main rivals include Promise Me Later (David Dowling) from post two, fresh off a lifetime-best win in 1:55.1 in her latest, and from post five is morning-line favourite Windemere Saddy (MacPherson), coming off a third-place finish in the Birthplace Of Confederation Mares Series Final for conditioner Saul Lanigan.

The Post Time Picks sides with Woodmere Kennedie.

“Woodmere Kennedie has missed the ticket in four straight starts but up against some big-time competition. The good news is she gets the rail, and the price will be friendly so there could be a minor upset brewing.”

The $6,000 Graduate Series Grassroots Consolation is carded as Race 7 with Saulsbrook Annie (Dowling) starting from the rail for trainer Michael Dowling, along with Allaboutthebet (Brady Sweet) from post six for trainer Jeff Holmes and Nofool Tobago (Paul Langille) leaving from post five for trainer Garth Cole.

The diagonally gaited performers are in the spotlight in Race 11, with the second leg of the Island Oceans Trot Challenge presented by Burkie By The Bay Stable for a purse of $6,500. The dash will host another showdown between post-one entry Fight Song (Jason Hughes) for trainer Ashley Gamester and post-four starter Buckhead Ridge (Marc Campbell) from the Landon Campbell barn in a deep field.

The undercard includes the Workers Compensation Board of P.E.I. Pace in Race 5 for $3,350 in an overnight event.

Post time for the 14-dash Thursday program is 6 p.m.

(Red Shores)