Red Magician will look to work his magic off the rail in the Thursday night feature at Red Shores’ Charlottetown Driving Park.

First race post time for the 12-dash card is 7 p.m.

Ken Murphy will drive Red Magician from Post 1 in the $1,800 feature pace (Race 11) for trainer Clarkie Smith and owners Dale and Ronnie Rennie of Elmsdale. The four-year-old chestnut son of Badlands Hanover had been racing in Ontario for trainer Paul MacKenzie and was a winner his last start out in 1:55.2 at Grand River Raceway in Elora, Ont.

The race has some entries that can pace right with Red Magician, as Perfect Escape (to be driven by Ron Matheson) has drawn Post 6. He made breaks in his last two races while free-legged, but trainer Jackie Matheson qualified the horse in 1:58.1 last week with hopples on and could return to the 1:55 form he showed in his first few P.E.I. starts. Beckenbauer (Kenny Arsenault) has Post 2, fresh off a 1:55.4 romp on Governor’s Plate night at Summerside Raceway. Other entries include IDK (Vincent Poulton), Windemere Express (Mike McGuigan), Shock The Rock (Corey MacPherson) and Rymar Sporty (Gary Chappell).

Frill Seeker is the one to beat in the seven-horse Open Trot (Race 5), which carries a $1,850 purse. Trainer Kenny Arsenault will be in the bike behind Frill Seeker from Post 2 for owner Ebbsfleet Stable of Stratford, Ont. The six-year-old Angus Hall gelding was an impressive winner in his island debut with a 10-length victory in 1:59.2 last Friday in Summerside. He will battle with the veterans of the top trot, Abundaspin and Zip The Lip, who have virtually dominated the class the past two years. Abundaspin (Harold Shepherd) has Post 5 while Zip The Lip (Brian MacPhee) will start from Post 6. The field also includes Song Dream (Vaughan Doyle), Pleasure Girls (MacPherson), Caliban Hanover (Ron Gass) and Lyrical Lindy (Walter Cheverie).

The $1,400 back-up pace will line up for Race 8. Rymar Romeo is favoured early for trainer-driver and co-owner Steven Murphy and fellow island co-owner Ambrose Gillis and Nova Scotian Shawn MacLennan. Other top entries in the race include Astronomical Union (Arsenault), Umiztagoodthing (Todd Walsh) and Brodys Leona (MacPherson).

To view the harness racing entries for Thursday at the CDP, click the following link: Thursday Entries – Charlottetown Driving Park.

(With files from Red Shores)