Little Louis, Stunning Speed and Alwaysunfullforce etched their names in the Truro Raceway record books during an action-packed card of harness racing featuring Atlantic Sires Stakes on Friday, July 24.

In a first for the Atlantic Sires Stakes trotters, the colts and fillies were split into separate divisions as their 2026 Sires Stakes season began with record performances put forth by defending champion Little Louis and freshman colt Stunning Speed.

Little Louis smashed the all-age trotting track record with a career-best 1:57.2 triumph in the $10,180 sophomore colt division with Corey MacPherson driving for trainer Kuri White. He lowered the record set by Ya Boy Bear in 2019 by one second and three-fifths.

Little Louis looped early leaver Call Of Honor (Ken Murphy) in a :28.4 opening panel then cruised all alone on the front end through middle splits of :59 and 1:28.1 on the way a the 4-1/4-length score. Call Of Honor chased him home in second while Hoponarocket (Gilles Barrieau) followed in third.

Owned by East Coast Captains of Cornwall, P.E.I., the homebred E L Rocket-Go With Her gelding, who has just two losses on his career record -- both runner-up finishes at the start of his freshman and sophomore seasons, respectively -- hit the $100,000 earnings mark with his 13th victory.

Sent postward as the overwhelming 1-9 favourite, Little Louis paid $2.10 to win.

Stunning Speed dominated the two-year-old male trotters with a wire-to-wire romp in a two-minute mile for trainer/driver Mike McGuigan. 

In the $10,800 event, the Muscle Through It-Stunning Look colt led the field of nine unopposed through fractions of :30, 1:00.3 and 1:30.3 before widening his margin in a :29.2 final frame to 3-1/4 lengths over pocket-pursuer Hopthroughit (Clare MacDonald). Shoe Dog Speed (Paul Langille) finished back in third after early interference. 

The 2:00 clocking was one second and four-fifths faster than Truro's long-standing two-year-old trotting colt record set in 2003 by Defiant Looks and matched the overall rookie trotting record set in 2019 by gelding Mabou Ridge.

Stunning Speed, undefeated in his first two career starts, is owned by Prince Edward Island connections, Little Pond Stables of Little Pond and The Coles Stable of Charlottetown. He was a $29,000 yearling purchase from last fall's Atlantic Classic Sale.

The 1-4 favourite paid $2.70 to win.

In an early $10,000 non-wagering race for the freshman filly trotters, Saulsbrook Disco established a big lead when her two rivals broke stride at the start. She later held off the comeback of Early Speed (Myles Heffernan Sr.) by a head at the end of the 2:05.2 mile to remain undefeated in her first two races. 

Trainer Landon Campbell's What R The Oddz Stable owns the Muscle Through It-Cleveland Twilight filly, an $8,500 Atlantic Classic Yearling Sale acquisition, while his father Marc handles the driving duties.

Marc Campbell swept the filly trots, with the John Clarey-trained Emberlees Rocket turning back the slightly favoured Bonmati (Corey MacPherson) to win the $10,000 sophomore split in 2:00.4 by one length. Bonmati settled for second after challenging first-up down the backstretch then trying to close inside down the homestretch, with Roseys El Girl (Ken Murphy) finishing nearly seven lengths behind in third. 

A first-time winner in her 13th start after nine top-three finishes, the homebred daughter of E L Rocket and Malahide is owned by Michael Clarey of Montague, P.E.I.

Friday's card also featured the third leg of Atlantic Sires Stakes for three-year-old pacing fillies comprised of three $10,000 "A" divisions. Another record-setting McGuigan trainee, Alwaysinfullforce became Truro's fastest three-year-old pacing filly winner with a 1:54.1 career-best effort.

Alwaysinfullforce and driver Gilles Barrieau held an uncontested lead through fractions of :27.1, :55.2 and 1:24.1, up by three lengths turning for home. She then held off the late-closers, Elm Grove Uncannie (Ken Murphy) and Fern Hill Kream (Brodie MacPhee), by a quarter-length.

The former track record for three-year-old pacing fillies of 1:54.3 was held by her archrival Windemere Skye (2026) along with My Happy Place, (2025), Therealprincess (2022) and Woodmere Skyroller (2020).

A runner-up to the undefeated Windemere Skye in the opening Sires Stakes leg on May 24 at Summerside Raceway and a winner during the second round on June 20 at Northside Downs, Alwaysinfullforce was sent postward as the 1-9 favourite and paid $2.20 to win. 

After winning just once as a rookie in 13 outings, the Force N Fury-Toujours filly has put together a sophomore record reading 5-2-1 in nine starts this year, pushing her career bankroll to $57,908 for owner/breeder James Whalen Jr. of Vernon River, P.E.I.

With Windemere Skye scratched from an earlier division, Going For Blood stepped into the spotlight with a gate-to-wire win in a new lifetime mark of 1:56 flat for trainer/driver Kenny Arsenault. 

The Blood Money-Rolling Going Gone filly set fractions of :28.2, :58 and 1:27.1 before holding off the pocket-pulling favourite, Isle Mach Da Money (Gillies Barrieau), by a head for her first seasonal score in nine attempts. The 5-1 winner returned $13.90 to her backers. Bakers Dozen (Corey MacPherson) rallied wide from the back in the final turn to take third. 

Now five-for-23 lifetime, Going For Blood has earned $67,164 for Peter Smith of Stratford, P.E.I. and Charlottetown's Gerald Morrissey.

Mysterious Ways picked up her first Sires Stakes trophy in the other "A" division in rein to Jason Hughes, as she advanced from third after the first lap to push past the pacesetting Exhilarating (Darryl MacLean) at the three-quarters marker in 1:28.3 then fended off the favourites, Beach Jewels (Gilles Barrieau) chasing off her back and Lila Berry (Corey MacPherson) in the passing lane. The 5-2 third choice paid $7.60 to win.

The Blood Money-Mistreos miss, who went two-for-11 at two, improved her seasonal scorecard to 3-4-2 in 10 sophomore starts and now has $44,730 banked in purses for trainer Stephen Quinn and owners John & Anna-Grace Quinn of Charlottetown.

Driver Corey MacPherson and trainer Chris MacKay teamed up to take two of the three $6,000 "B" divisions with Saulsbrook Fancy (Somewhere Fancy-Line In The Sand) prevailing in a three-way photo finish in 1:56.4 and Camluck Lady (Tobago Cays-Tymal Xtra) a wide-open winner in 1:56. The fastest of this set was U Bettim Eazy (Tobago Cays-Bettim Laura) in 1:55.3 with Gilles Barrieau in the bike for the George Rennison stable. All three winners established new lifetime marks.

In regular racing action, trainer Danny Romo's Bettor On Than Off overcame the outside post in a field of seven to repeat in the $2,500 Winners Over Handicap Pace. Robert Laffin catch-drove the seven-year-old Bettors Delight-Lights Go Out gelding, who turned in a 1:53.4 lifetime-best performance in his 21st career victory, leading by 6-1/4 lengths over favoured Nova Scotia Strong (Darren Crowe) and No Money Honey (Ken Murphy). Bettor On Than Off paid $4.70 to win as the 6-5 second choice.

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

(Standardbred Canada)