Three-year-old pacing fillies and colts were in the spotlight at Red Shores at Charlottetown Driving Park on Saturday (June 10) as eliminations were held for the pair of Maritime Breeders Stakes divisions.
The fillies faced off in two $3,000 eliminations with the top four finishers from each race advancing to next Saturday's championship. With three eliminations for the colts and geldings, the top two in each of those races along with the fastest third-place finisher earned a spot in their final.
Trainer/driver Marc Campbell swept the filly eliminations with Filly Forty Seven and Elektra Express, who are both undefeated (three-for-three) so far in their sophomore seasons.
Defending Maritime Breeders champion Filly Forty Seven went wire-to-wire in the first elimination, winning in a career-best time of 1:56.1 by three lengths over favourite Bonzai Beach (Clare MacDonald). The winner's stablemate, Elm Grove Ladyluck (Gilles Barreau), and Oceanview Beemer (Earl Smith) followed more than 10 lengths behind in third and fourth.
Filly Forty Seven, who won six of her 13 races as a freshman, has banked $61,183 lifetime. The Proven Lover-This Marks A Lady filly is owned by Islanders Darryl MacLean, Katelyn Smallwood and Cory Carver, along with Tanya Tremblett of Sydney Mines, N.S.
Elektra Express took the lead at the half-mile mark in her elimination and drew off by four lengths to win in 1:55.4. Kinda Like Her (Kenny Arsenault) chased her home in second-place while Traces Of Purple (Walter Cheverie) and Tobins Secret (Smith) earned the remaining spots in the final.
Fresh off a 1:56.2 track record equalling victory for three-year-old pacing fillies last weekend at Truro Raceway, Elektra Express established a lifetime mark and was just four-fifths of a second off the 1:55 divisional track record at Charlottetown. The fast filly by Western Paradise out of Expressly Hanover is owned and was bred by Danica Ellis of Brookfield, N.S. She has earned $50,442 lifetime while finishing no worse than third, including winning eight of 11 starts at age two.
In the first colt elimination, the Mark Bradley-driven Complete Player converted off a pocket trip to defeat pacesetter Tobinator (Corey MacPherson) by one and a quarter lengths in 1:56.3, equalling his lifetime mark. Johnny Moe (Campbell) went wide to improve his position to third, finishing eight lengths behind.
Tom Weatherbie trains the Brandons Cowboy-Suddenly Susan colt for local owner David Kennedy. Complete Player has won three (consecutive) races from four sophomore starts after going four-for-11 last year and now has career earnings totalling $34,265.
Ernest Laffin and his sophomore IC A Free Spirit pulled off an 8-1 upset winning the next elimination in a career-best 1:57.4. The Driven To Win-Eternal Optimism gelding overtook favourite Ryans Allstar (Campbell) at three-quarters and then held off Carters Caper (MacDonald) by half a length. Cowboys Dont Cry (MacPherson) finished third.
The win was IC A Free Spirit's first in two starts this year and third overall. From 12 starts lifetime, he's banked $9,214.
Campbell also scored an elimination win with the streaking gelding Island Energetic, who wore down race leader Ashes To Ashes (Barrieau) in a lifetime-best performance clocked in 1:55.4. Defending Maritime Breeders champion Nameisonthehalter (MacPherson) emerged from the pocket to finish third, three-quarters of a length behind the winner, and will advance to the final as the fastest show finisher of the colt elims.
Island Energetic sports a perfect five-for-five record to start his sophomore campaign after winning two of 12 as a freshman. The Articulator-Luscious Character gelding will by vying to keep his winning momentum going and add to his $15,112 bankroll in next weekend's final for Nova Scotia-based owners Grayland Farm and Bernadette Burgess.
In regular racing action, Give Em Heck jumped up in class and sprang an 11-1 upset winning the weekly $2,400 Preferred in 1:55.3 with Gilles Barrieau driving for trainer Jackie Matheson and owner Colin Sheppard of Spaniards Bay, Newfoundland.
To view Saturday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Saturday Results - Charlottetown Driving Park.