The 2018 Atlantic stakes season comes to a close Saturday afternoon (Oct. 27) with the Island Breeders finals, and a pair of pacers will look to put the finishing touches on their unscathed seasons at Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at Charlottetown Driving Park. The 14-dash Saturday program gets underway at 12:30 p.m.
Magical Mistress looks to up the tempo early as she puts her undefeated season to the test in the day's second race. Adam Merner returns to the driver’s seat behind the undefeated daughter of Camystic, who will look for her 12th win in a row in the $9,600 Island Breeders Final for two-year-old pacing fillies. Stephen Gass trains the filly for owner Barry Martin.
The three-year-old pacing fillies have their $10,300 Island Breeders final in race four, with Bettim Jackie riding high into the final from post 6 with a string of three wins. Gilles Barrieau drives the daughter of Andreoli Hanover for trainer Jeff Lilley, who shares ownership with Blair MacLauchlan and Danny Purcell.
Mile Hill Willie had been perfect since finding his way to the Barrieau stable and enters the sixth-race $7,000 Island Breeders final for two-year-old trotters as the favourite from post 4 with a six-race win streak intact. Mile Hill Willie is owned by Paul Morrison.
The ultra-competitive three-year-old trot division comes to a close with their Island Breeders final in race eight for a $7,500 pot. West River Cindy has never been worse than second in her career and gets post 2 for trainer-driver Clare MacDonald, while Buckaroo (Campbell) is favoured off the rail and Atlantic Breeders Crown winner Buddy White (Merner) leaves from post 8.
Woodmere Bolt controls the pylons in the 10th-race Island Breeders final for two-year-old pacing colts, which carries a $10,200 purse. The Earl Smith-trained and driven pacer has never been out of the top three in 12 career starts for owners Peter Smith, Gerald Morrissey and Arnold Hagen.
The Island Breeders finale is in race 12 with the three-year-old pacing colts final. Sock It Away looks to close out his undefeated season of the East Coast with 15 wins from as many starts in his sophomore campaign. Marc Campbell drives the son of Pang Shui for trainer Kevin MacLean and owner Reg MacPherson.
Each final of the Island Breeders have been named in honour of a longtime member of the harness racing community, including Bert Honkoop, Joe Smallwood, Charlie Willis, Wilma MacLure, Ron Kennedy and Lee Taylor.
Action shifts to Red Shores at Summerside Raceway on Sunday, as Austin Sorrie and Earl Watts look to settle the score for top trainer in the final Summerside program of the season. The 12-dash card kicks off at 1 p.m.
David Dowling is set to take away his first driving title on the East Coast, while Watts leads all trainers for victories by one over Sorrie. Dowling, a former leading driver at Sudbury Downs in Ontario, goes into the Sunday card with 39 wins on the season, giving him an insurmountable 10-race advantage over Corey MacPherson, who is home with his newborn daughter and thus not competing on the program.
Watts, a resident of Hampshire, P.E.I., has 14 training wins in 2018 at Red Shores Summerside and will send three starters to post Sunday afternoon. Sorrie sits in second place with 13 wins at the Prince County Oval and will sit behind all six of his Sunday afternoon starters.
The rookie driver will also have a starter in the $2,200 top class pace (race 11) as Pictonian Storm will look to add to the Montague horsemen’s stats. Leaving from post 3, Pictonian Storm is installed at 4-1 morning-line odds in the compact field of five, but defeated this group two starts back in Summerside. Fast N Victorious has been acquitting himself well lately and gets rail control for driver Adam Merner and trainer Stephen Gass.
Mando Fun delivered off the front end in this class last week and has been installed the morning-line favourite from post 2. Dale Spence drives the pacer for co-owner and trainer Paul Biggar of Tyne Valley and co-owner Donald Callbeck of Kensington, P.E.I.
Race analyst Bo Ford thinks Pictonian Storm could add to Sorrie’s 2018 win totals.
“This is another one of those top classes that are wide open,” Ford said. “Pictonian Storm won it two starts back and the rookie is looking for the training title. Expect his best today.”
Also in the feature field are Machinthesand (Ken Murphy) and Eagle Jolt (Marc Campbell).
Loves A Challenge makes his East Coast debut in race 10 of the program, vying for a $1,700 purse. A winner of 19 races and $136,000 in purses, the nine-year-old son of Tulane is now owned and trained by Trevor Hicken with Ambyr Campbell getting the catch-driving call. Loves A Challenge last raced in a conditioned event at Hippodrome 3R in Quebec.
For live video and more, go to www.redshores.ca.
To view this weekend's harness racing entries, click the following links: Saturday – Charlottetown | Sunday – Summerside.
(Red Shores)