Jennifer Doyle became the winningest female trainer in Atlantic Canadian harness racing history during the Saturday, Dec. 7 afternoon card at Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park.
Trainer Lynn Privett held the former record of 107 wins in a single Atlantic season set in 1993, but Vernon Bridge, P.E.I. trainer Doyle took dead aim at the milestone on Saturday and broke the record with a training triple on the 13-race program.
Jennifer Doyle broke the Atlantic Canadian harness racing record for most wins in a single season by a female trainer with Woodmere Heather M giving her win number 108 in 2024.
The streaking nine-year-old Articulator mare Elm Grove Mistress ($2.30), driven by Jason Hughes, provided a 1:59.2 victory by a quarter of a length in race three for Doyle's 106th win in 2024 then a pair of Malicious distaffers did the final history making. Three-year-old filly Fern Hill Indigo ($2.80), with David Dowling in the sulky, was a 1:58.1 winner by 6-3/4 lengths in race six helping Doyle tie the record with her 107th win of the season. Two races later in the eighth dash, four-year-old mare Woodmere Heather M ($2.10), also driven by Dowling, got up in the stretch for the 1:58.4 score by three-quarters of a length -- the mare's 18th win of the season -- to give Doyle the training record at 108 victories so far in 2024.
The victory puts Doyle in third place in all-time training victories in a single season in Atlantic Canada behind Marc Campbell’s 131-win season in 2017 and Blair Laffin’s 111-win campaign in 1994.
All three of Doyle's winners are owned by Danny Birt of Vernon Bridge, P.E.I.
In the $3,600 top class of the day for fillies and mares, Rosetown Mary ($4.60) was the boss in the 1:56.1 mile for trainer/driver Corey MacPherson and owners Rosetown Stable and Taylor MacPherson. Tobins Brownie (Marc Campbell) was second with Acefortyfour Dome (Jason Hughes) completing the triactor.
In other action, the first leg of the Steven and Joe MacRae Memorial Fall Series was contested on Saturday's card with four $3,500 divisions for pacers three years old and up that are non-winners of $6,000 in 2024 (with 12 starts on P.E.I. as of Nov. 26).
Sagali ($2.30) won the first division for fillies and mares with a 2:02.4 score over Watch Her Go (Marc Campbell) and Greystone Shad O (Myles Heffernan Sr.). Mark Bradley drove the winning Shanghai Phil mare for trainer Phil Kelly and The Sagali Six Stable.
The second division for fillies and mares went to the Shadow Play mare Southern Heart ($3.90) and driver Corey MacPherson in 2:02.1 for trainer Ron Matheson and owners Elmer Campbell and Jackie Cooper. Red Dirt Diamond (Brett Clow) was second with Heatherspet (Adam Merner) third.
Poplar Artie ($2.40), driven by Marc Campbell, romped to a 1:59.1 victory in the first division for male pacers over Starship Glyde (Adam Merner) and Luigi Bizacko (Steven Murphy). Lenny Myers trains the winning son of Mach Three for Matt and Liam Myers.
Dylan Sam ($3) and Myles Heffernan Sr. reached up in the final strides to win the other male split in 2:02 for trainer Alan Gregory, who is also co-owner of the Sweet Lou son with Tyson MacDonald. Azure Beach (Paul Langille) was second best ahead of Justcallmedoc (Keith Ford).
Live harness racing continues on Sunday afternoon at 12:30 p.m. at Red Shores Charlottetown.
To view Saturday's harness racing results, click the following link: Saturday Results - Charlottetown Driving Park.
(With files from Red Shores)