Bee Two Bee delivered another powerhouse performance in the $5,500 Preferred 1 Pace on a busy Saturday, Nov. 22 card at Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park.
He controlled things from the word go, fronting the compact field through splits of :28.1, :56.4 and 1:25.2 at the direction of Jason Hughes. The Sunshine Beach-Bee Fullof Steinam stallion kicked home in :27.1 to stop the clock in 1:52.3, fending off pocket-sitter House Edge Hanover (Gilles Barrieau) by 1-1/2 lengths with Phil My Beer (Marc Campbell) finishing third.
Bee Two Bee is trained by Ashley Gamester for owners Donald MacRae of Vernon Bridge, P.E.I. and Blair MacLauchlan of Charlottetown, P.E.I. The eight-year-old is now 43-for-176 with $549,077 in earnings. He paid $3.30 to win.
The Joe & Steven MacRae Memorial Fall Series took up a big share of the spotlight with three first-leg divisions for horses three years old and up.
Power Of Four ($10.70) took the first $3,500 division for horses with earnings between $4,001 and $6,000 this year. The seven-year-old son of Sunshine Beach-Dancin Inthe Nude went pillar-to-post for reinsman Ryan Desroche and owner-trainer Irwin Neill, digging in late to hold off a charging Five Star Dragon (Adam Merner) by a nose in 1:58. Doc Darryl (Colin Sheppard) shot up the inside off a pocket ride but finished third.
In other $3,500 MacRae contest, Phil Dorleans ($3.60) delivered a front-end gem for trainer-driver Merner and owners Kent Williams and Lyndon Hardy. The 10-year-old Shanghai Phil-Legende Dorleans gelding cut all the fractions before kicking away by 6-3/4 lengths in 1:57.1. Spack Jarrow (Hughes) closed for second while Im Hungry (Paul Langille) finished third.
The $3,000 split, for non-winners of $4,001 this year, went to Buddysnvirgins ($5.10), who sat the pocket for Barrieau to deliver by 4-1/2 lengths in 1:57.4. Windsong Quincy (Marc Campbell) rallied up for second while Century Invictus (Norris Rogers) held third. Buddysnvirgins, an eight-year-old Always A Virgin-Blue Starlett gelding, is trained by Darrell Neill, who co-owns him with Ryan Neill.
Barrieau's triple on the card was highlighted by a victory in the $4,550 Preferred 2 Pace with T H Boomtown ($4.50) in 1:54.4 for trainer Ron Matheson and owners Dr. Don Ling and Wayne MacDougall. Doc Awesome (MacPherson) and Pendleton Rodeo (Merner) were second and third, respectively. The winner, a four-year-old son of Captain Crunch-Ally Elizabeth, was 2-1/4 lengths the best.
Ikes Dream ($2.10) completed the triple for Barrieau in 1:55, with the Trevin Shive-trained Bettors Delight-Some Renditions five-year-old fronting the field from start to finish in Race 12 for owner Jim Shive.
The P.E.I.S.H.O.A. event in Race 7 went to Geishas Treasure ($4.90), who controlled every step of a 1:55.2 victory for driver Marc Campbell, trainer Brendon Mullen and owner Blaize Rogerson.
Promising rookie Th Spikey Mikey ($2.10) made good on his heavy pari-mutuel support with a sharp 1:58.4 victory in Race 1 to remain undefeated in two tries for driver-trainer MacPherson and owners Peter Smith, Ian Smith and Gerald Morrissey. MacPherson doubled from his barn as Evil Vintage ($12.90) swept up to win Race 3 in 1:57.1 for owner Sandra Stead. MacPherson also tripled in the bike as High Praise ($3.60) won again in Race 8 in 1:55.2 for trainer Jennifer Doyle and owner Ian McKinnon.
Racing continues at Red Shores Charlottetown on Thursday, Nov. 27 at 6 p.m.
To view Saturday's harness racing results, click the following link: Saturday Results - Charlottetown Driving Park.
(With files from Red Shores)