The connections of Take It Back Terry had to wait a day to see their Western Terror gelding triumph in the 56th edition of the Sobeys Gold Cup & Saucer, but the delay made the six-year-old’s victory in the revered event all the more sweeter.

The stage for Red Shores’ signature event was all set to go on Saturday (August 22) at the Charlottetown Driving Park on Prince Edward Island. The track was able to race the undercard of the Gold Cup & Saucer program, but a serious thunder storm struck as the horses were parading under the spotlights, causing track officials to postpone the $60,000 final until Sunday (August 23) at 3 p.m. (AST) due to unsafe track conditions.

The field reassembled Sunday afternoon at the CDP, and so did a strong crowd, which made its way back to the cherished oval to see the field of eight lay it all on the line.

Take It Back Terry, who was one of two combatants racing from the stable of renowned trainer Ron Burke, showed that his Trial #2 victory was anything but a fluke.

Island native Marc Campbell steered Take It Back Terry into Post 5, and the wings of the starting gate folded, the duo was one of four horses that had left hard for a shot at front-end positioning.

Lucan Hanover (driven by Jonathan Drury), Sparky Mark (Travis Cullen) and The Rev (Danny Romo) were the others in the field that also wanted the lead early. Campbell and Take It Back Terry had left right with them, but were just a step off the tempo as the field raced around the first turn.

It didn’t take long for Campbell and Take It Back Terry to get right up the lead.

Campbell and Take It Back Terry passed their early rivals and settled right down on the front end. The bay was live on the front and repelled a bid from fellow Trial winner Crombie A in the middle half of the affair. After having sparred with Take It Back Terry, Crombie A backed through the outside flow and eventually finished seventh.

Take It Back Terry had no intention of giving up on the engine when fellow Burke pupil Atta Boy Dan (Anthony MacDonald) came calling with a tremendous closing effort from the backfield. MacDonald and Atta Boy Dan had a full head of steam behind them when they closed wide with a flurry, but Campbell and Take It Back Terry held them off by a quarter length at the wire.

Take It Back Terry’s win time was 1:50.4, the same clocking that he had put in during his Trial win, which had come six days earlier. The fractions for the final were cut in :27.2, :55.1 and 1:23.1.

Take It Back Terry’s 1:50.4 performance in the final of the Gold Cup & Saucer updated the Canadian and track record books, yet again. Courtesy of his 1:50.4 mile in his Gold Cup & Saucer Trial, Take It Back Terry had added his name to the Canadian race record list in the following categories: All-Age Pacing Gelding on a Half-Mile Track; Aged Pacing Gelding on a Half-Mile Track. He had also added his name to the Charlottetown Driving Park track record books for the following category: Aged Pacing Gelding. Since Take It Back Terry raced back to that 1:50.4 clocking again in the Gold Cup and Saucer final, his name was etched back onto the aforementioned record categories yet again.

“He raced great for me in the Trial and he was even better for me today,” Campbell said from the winner’s circle. Campbell went on to state that the quality of the field did not allow him to approach the Gold Cup & Saucer final with a hard and firm game plan.

“I looked over and the other horses weren’t really on the gate, and he was on the gate and (was) feeling really well, so I said ‘lets go out for a while.’”

Campbell’s spur of the moment strategy paid off in full for Take It Back Terry’s backers, who saw the veteran pacer return $7.50 on a successful $2 Win wager. He also paid $4.30 to place and $2.50 to show. Take It Back Terry topped a $26.40 (5/6) exactor with Atta Boy Dan ($5.30, $4.50). Lucan Hanover ($4.80), who worked out a ground-saving trip, finished third and bottomed out the $282.80 (5/6/2) triactor.

Trainer Ron Burke (who is part of the Burke Racing Stable LLC of Fredericktown, PA) co-owns Take It Back Terry along with fellow Pennsylvania connections Weaver Bruscemi LLC (Canonsburg) and Phillip Collura (Mountain Top). Lawrence Karr of Randolph, New Jersey also owns a piece of the 31-time career winner.

“It’s usually not his style, either (racing on the lead), but he swelled right up on the front (during his) last two starts,” Take It Back Terry’s assistant trainer, Shannon Murphy, said from the winner’s circle afterward.

Murphy was clearly feeling the power of the moment in the winner’s circle. When asked about how special an honour it is for a Maritimer to be part of a Gold Cup & Saucer winner, Murphy said, “It really is. This is home for me.”

To view the harness racing results for Sunday at the CDP, click the following link: Sunday Results – Charlottetown Driving Park.