Marc Campbell claimed the Paul MacDonald Memorial Trophy in 2021 and will seek to retain it during Horse Person’s Day on Saturday (Nov. 19) at Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park.
The Capital oval has 14 dashes on tap Saturday afternoon with a 12:30 p.m. opening post time featuring the MacDonald Memorial Driving Championship as part of Horse Person’s Day, presented by the P.E.I. Standardbred Horse Owner’s Association. The day will also feature other events including second chance prize draws for racing fans.
The eight-dash competition lines up in Races 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 11 and 12 with eight drivers competing for the top prize. The historic challenge has the top four dash winning drivers on P.E.I. in Marc Campbell, Gilles Barrieau, David Dowling and Corey MacPherson. The over 75 drives percentage category sees Mike McGuigan and Jason Hughes in competition while the top percentage drivers with 25 to 75 drives are represented by Ambyr Campbell and Steven Shepherd. Drivers will be awarded points for each drive and the top pilot will receive the MacDonald Memorial Trophy.
The first dash of the competition in Race 3, sponsored by Elm Grove Farms, has Outrageous Spirit leaving from post three for the team of co-owner and trainer Kevin Peters of Emyvale and co-owner Paul Holmes of Warren Grove. The daughter of Articulator – Outrageous Storm is a 44-time winner including her latest start and has drawn Steven Shepherd, brother of Robert Shepherd, into the driver’s seat on Saturday afternoon. Her main rivals include Ma Rebelle (Ambyr Campbell) from post four from the Jansen Sweet barn along with Starshipsalicia (Jason Hughes) with post eight for trainer Earl Watts. Also in the field are Elm Grove Nanci (Corey MacPherson), Windmerenoharmdone (Gilles Barrieau), I Can Do It (David Dowling), Dancers Pass (Mike McGuigan) and Black Elektra (Marc Campbell).
The Post Time picks predicts Shepherd will start off the day on a winning note.
“Outrageous Spirit found her best stride last week and got that first win of 2022. It was a confidence booster and Shepherd will have her on the front foot so she could go back-to-back.”
The Vernon MacDonald Memorial is the feature on the day in Race 13 for a $3,150 purse. First Glance has shown he loves the front end and will have rail control in the Preferred 2 pace for driver Hughes and trainer Jennifer Doyle, who co-owns with Danny Birt of Earncliffe. Top competition in that dash includes Boys Turn (Dowling) from post six and Nogreatmischief (Walter Cheverie) with post three.
Catch all the world class harness racing action live at the track or tune into the Race Day broadcast at Redshores.ca. Online wagering is available at HPIBet.com. For entries, click the following link: Saturday Entries - Charlottetown Driving Park.
(Red Shores)