Freshmen fillies Scarlet Patti and Meridian Magic maintained their winning momentum on Saturday afternoon in their respective Island Breeders Finals
at Charlottetown Driving Park. Both fillies kept their double-digit win streaks in tact with a pair of dominant scores on the stakes-filled program.
A total of six Island Breeders Finals were held on Saturday featuring the colts and fillies with the highest earnings during the two preliminary legs held earlier this season at Summerside Raceway and Charlottetown.
Scarlet Patti kicked off the stakes action with a dazzling eight length score in the $8,000 two-year-old trot final with trainer/breeder Darryl MacLean in the sulky.
Sent postward as the odds-on favourite, Scarlet Patti tucked into the two-hole from a Post 6 start and tracked Red Pajamas (Kenny Arsenault) through early stations of :30.3 and 1:02.1. Scarlett Patti made her move during the third interval and was on top by three-quarters in 1:34.1. The Pjs Nabby-Scarlet Nite filly was no match for her rivals as she sprinted away from the pack hitting the wire in a career-best clocking of 2:05.3. Red Pajamas and Unstoppable Image (Ronnie Gass) finished back in second and third.
Scarlet Patti has been a model of consistency for owner Gord MacLean winning her last 10 races including her Maritime Breeders Final. The talented youngster now sports a record reading 11-2-0 in 13 starts with $35,631 banked.
Meridian Magic continued her dominant reign when she captured the $13,000 three-year-old filly pace final in 1:59.2. The favoured Largo-Hot Asset miss and trainer/driver Kenny Arsenault got away fifth from Post 7 and began her bid for the lead after the :28.2 opening quarter. Meridian Magic advanced through panels of :58.3 and 1:29.3 and a used a :29.3 final quarter to push five lengths ahead of her foes in the stretch. Woodmere Sandollar (Stephen Trites) was the runner-up with pacesetter R Es Miss Jen (Jason Hughes) finishing third.
Breeder Barry Martin and James Gillis of Sydney, N.S. share ownership of the triumphant filly, who notched her 11th consecutive victory. The winner of the Atlantic Breeders Crown and Maritime Breeders Final improved her record to 11-1-2 in 14 starts and bumped her bankroll to $76,362.
Allbentouttashape overcame a Post 8 start and continued his own impressive win streak in the $13,000 two-year-old colt pace final. The favoured Quick Comeback-C A Lady gelding advanced from fourth after a :29.1 first quarter and went head-to-head with 93-1 Artizzmoe through fractions of :59.1 and 1:29.2. In the stretch, the duel continued but Allbentouttashape eventually pushed ahead to score by a neck in 2:00.4. Woodmere Jethro (Ken Murphy) finished a length back in third.
Sean Dooley trains Allbentouttashape, who has won seven straight races including the Atlantic Breeders Crown and Maritime Breeders Final. Purchased for $4,000 at the Nova Scotia Provincial Exhibition sale by the Dooley Boys Racing Stable of Halifax, N.S., the bay gelding has earned 13 wins and three seconds in 16 starts banking $76,957.
In the $8,000 three-year-old trot final, favourite Grayland Bling front-stepped his way to a 2:05.4 victory in line to Bernard McCallum. The Black River-Sturdy Faith gelding left from Post 2 and carved out fractions of :31.3 and 1:02.4 before facing pressure from Maple Leaf Quix (Gary Chappell) through three-quarters in 1:34.1. Grayland Bling pressed on down the lane and managed to hold off Firedance Ridge (Kenny Arsenault) by a half-length for the win as Maple Leaf Quix made a late break finishing third.
Danny Romo trains the winner of eight races in 17 starts this year and $23,176 for Paul Gray of Pugwash, N.S. Grayland Bling was a $5,000 acquisition from the Atlantic Classic sale. His 12th lifetime score boosted his bankroll to $46,167.
Semjac Legacy pulled off a mild 4-1 upset in the $13,000 Island Breeders Final for three-year-old fillies for trainer/driver Darren Crowe. Favourite Darko (Kenny Arsenault) led the way through fractions of :28.4, :59 and 1:29.4 but could not hold off a quick-closing Semjac Legacy, who rallied from fourth for the 2:00.3 triumph. R Es Mary (Allan Earl Smith) finished a quarter-length behind with Darko settling for third.
The winning Western Paradise-Island Zazzle filly notched her eighth win in 16 seasonal starts lifting her earnings to $29,647 for owners Iola Crowe of Central Onslow, breeder Murray Wayne Smith of Brookfield and Marlene Miller of Truro, N.S. Semjac Legacy’s 12th lifetime victory pushed her total winnings to $38,728.
Trained and driven by Allan Earl Smith, Kingofthecastle delivered on his pari-mutuel promise and earned the lion’s share of the $13,000 purse in the last Island Breeders Final, for three-year-old pacing colts. Stars Xample (Terry Gallant) carved out fractions of :29.2, 1:00 and 1:30.2 while Kingofthecastle advanced from second-over. The Western Success-Bourgeois Baby gelding came on to score in 1:59.4 by a half length over Porthill Gatsby (Kenny Arsenault) and Stars Xample.
Kyle Gardiner of Cardigan and Joseph Gardiner of Mount Stewart, P.E.I. co-own the winner of 12 races in 21 seasonal starts and $35,245.
To view Saturday's harness racing results, click here.