MacPhee Confident In 'Crown' Filly

Published: October 11, 2013 06:44 pm EDT

Brodie MacPhee knows that Ramblinglily is going to need a little luck to find the winner’s circle Sunday afternoon in the Atlantic Breeders Crown at Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park, but he’s confident in her chances.

First race post time for the 14-dash championship card is 1 p.m.

“She’s a good filly and she really impressed me last week in Fredericton,” MacPhee said of Ramblinglily's 1:57.3 win Saturday in New Brunswick. “She was really strong.”

The three-year-old Articulator filly, owned by Normand Leger of Shediac, N.B., and trained by Jean Belliveau, has post three in the $22,000 eleventh race, one of six divisional Atlantic Breeders Crown finals. Her main competition this season, Rose Valley, finished ninth in the Atlantic Sires Stakes points race and doesn’t make the rich final.

“It’s good for my team,” said MacPhee. “[Rose Valley] was always there at the finish every week.”

The 27-year-old Clyde River native’s main concern now lays in post five starter Scootin For Joy and Mike Stevenson, but MacPhee isn’t going to make any concrete plans on how to defeat her.

“I always try to go into those races with an open mind,” he said. “My filly is quick. If I decide to leave I’ll be going hard enough there will be a hole somewhere.”

MacPhee has never won a Breeders Crown before.

“It’d be nice to win it," said MacPhee. "It’s a big money event and she deserves it. She travelled all over the Maritimes this summer. She was at every race.”

Other entries in that race are Missassy Attitude (Kenny Arsenault), Western Judy (Marc Campbell), Windemere Maggie (Walter Cheverie), Skip The Exam (Darren Crowe), Putnams Kream (Bernard McCallum), and Whistys Paradise (Ernie Laffin).

MacPhee also has a live chance in the race 14 $10,700 Island Pacing Series Championship with All Turain off the rail for trainer and co-owner Trevor Hicken of Montague, P.E.I. and co-owner Lee Hicken of Charlottetown. The four-year-old pacer is riding a five-race win streak with victories in Invitational races in Truro, North Sydney and Fredericton, along with wins in the two preliminary legs of this series.

“He raced awesome last week,” said MacPhee. “He wore down Earl Smith’s horse. My horse is on top of his game right now. He’s sharp and [trainer Trevor Hicken] has him really good right now. I think he has a big shot.”

The horse that won the other two preliminary legs is Big League, with Corey MacPherson, who has post five.

“Big League is a front end horse,” said MacPhee. “My horse is not a big leaver. I’m going to have him fired up to get out of there and he’ll get away third or fourth at best. He’s a plugger and he’ll have to go the long mile I am sure.”

Also in that race is Narragansett (Norris Rogers), Wild Dragon (Gilles Barrieau), Cambest Kisser (Jason Hughes), Balanchine (Ron Matheson), Leading Camdidate (Arsenault), Touch Of Lightning (Earl Smith), and Lucky Encounter (Cheverie).

Also on the Breeder’s Crown championship card, race three features the $7,000 two-year-old colt trot Invitational with Dusty Lane Galaxy (Gary Chappell) looking for his seventh win in a row for trainer Stacey Lund and owners Peter Buchanan and the estate of George Boswall. Other top entries are Glencove Yoshi (Stevenson) and Phantom Beau (Arsenault).

Race five will see Taliesin search for win number eight on his undefeated season for trainer-driver Marc Campbell and owner Buntainwood Farm of Brackley Beach in the $7,000 three-year-old trot Invitational. His competition includes Oceanview Kate (Stevenson) and West River Xcel (Clare MacDonald).

Race seven on the card is the $22,000 two-year-old filly pacing final with Canadian and Maritime champion Saulsbrook Alana (Campbell) riding a five-race win streak from post three. Also in that race is Briannas Angel (Arsenault), Sail Through (John Holmes), Elm Grove Inarush (Mark Bradley), Pictonian Sareta (Stevenson), Lovineveryminute (Barrieau), Sea Anna Win (Earl Smith), and Absolootly Hot (Scott Hubbard).

The $22,000 two-year-old colt pacing final lines up in race nine with a tight knit group of eight horses. They are Super S Yzerman (MacDonald), Rancousy (Crowe), Touch Of Thunder (Smith), Settlement Request (Romo), JJ Laser (Campbell), Dumas Walker (Heffernan), Tobins Fusion (Barrieau) and Mr Comraderie (Stevenson).

Race 13 has the $22,000 three-year-old pacing colt final with Untouchable One (Arsenault) favoured off the rail for owner Dooley Boys Racing Stable of Halifax, N.S. Other entries are Jacobs Jackpot (Barrieau), Watersides Kipper (Hilliard Graves), Beach Paradise (Stevenson), Libertys Art (Hughes), The Rev (Romo), JB Bolt (Redmond Doucet), and Scarlet Chaser (MacDonald).

Also on the card, race eight will be the $1,800 Open Trot while race 12 sees a field of seven Open pacing mares racing for a purse of $2,200.

Saturday afternoon's 14-dash card at Red Shores Charlottetown features four $5,000 Breeders Crown consolation races. The two-year-old pacing fillies line up in race six, the two-year-old pacing colts in race eight, the three-year-old pacing fillies in race 10 and the three-year-old pacing colts in race 12.

To view Sunday's harness racing entries, click on the following link: Sunday Entries - Charlottetown Driving Park.

(With files from Red Shores)

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