The young stars were out in full force Saturday night at Red Shores Racetrack & Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park competing in divisions of the Lady Slipper and Joe O'Brien Memorial Stakes for two-year-old pacers
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The results came early when April Dawns Star won her $11,400 Lady Slipper Gold division in the second race, stopping the timer in 2:00 flat for driver Kenny Arsenault, trainer Wade Sorrie and owner Michael Collings of Charlottetown. Arsenault also drove his own trainee Cash An Clay to another Lady Slipper Gold win in 2:00.1 for the Turn For Home Stable of Stratford, P.E.I.
Driver Marc Campbell swept the $7,500 Lady Slipper Grassroots divisions with Pownal Bay Lassie in 2:01 for owner-trainer Gerard Evans of Stratford, P.E.I., and Acton Overeasy in 2:02.2 for trainer Nicholas White and owner Steve Morton of Windsor, N.S.
Touch Of Lightning, with trainer Earl Smith in the bike, protected the rail to wire the field in 1:59 and win by a nose in an exciting finish in the first $10,700 Gold division of the Joe O'Brien Memorial. The colt, owned by Islanders Peter and Don Smith, Gerald Morrissey and Larry Chappell, closed in :28.3 for his fourth win of the season. Dukes Up also took O'Brien Gold for trainer Albert Davies and owner Reg MacPherson of Stratford, P.E.I. Walter Cheverie engineered the front end trip during the 1:58 winning mile.
In the $9,100 Joe O'Brien Grassroots division, Kingdom Come was an impressive winner in 1:58.4. The Bo Ford trainee, driven by Mark Bradley, made an aggressive move at the half and went on to win by seven lengths. The colt is owned by Jack Hynes and Evan Ford of Charlottetown.
In other action, four-year-old gelding Last Art On Deck used the passing lane to overpower a field of invitational stars in a dazzling 1:56 flat. Jason Hughes was in the bike for the win for trainer Nick MacGillivray and owner Ian Drake of Vernon Bridge, P.E.I.
Murray M, under the command of trainer Garth Cole, recorded back-to-back winning victories in the evening's trot feature. The four-year-old gelding, owned by Edythe Cole of Kensington, P.E.I., went the mile in 2:03.2.
To view Saturday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Saturday Results - Charlottetown Driving Park.
(With files from Red Shores)