The top pacers on P.E.I. will converge on Summerside Sunday afternoon with a 1:00 pm first race post time for the 12-dash card, while the stars-to-be of the 2013 season will make their pari-mutuel debut Monday at Red Shores at the Summerside Raceway along with a special appearance by one of Ontario's top reinsmen.
On Sunday, the $2,300 Preferred Pace lines up in race 12 and has Cecil Ladner Memorial series champion Proven Lover leaving from post 8 for owner Casey Gavin, trainer Thane Mann and driver Terry Gallant. Wild Dragon ships in from Ontario and draws post 7 for co-owner and trainer Darren Trainor and co-owner Jennifer Trainor. Gilles Barrieau will drive Wild Dragon, who paced his last start in 1:51.4 at Mohawk Racetrack. The field also includes Touch Of Lightning (Earl Smith), Lucky Encounter (Alex Sobey), Come Back (Lenny Myers), Inspired Art (Brodie MacPhee), Greatheart Hanover (Stephen Quinn), and All Turain (Marc Campbell).
Also on the 12-dash card, the $1,650 back-up class has Roccos Cavallo favored from post 6 for driver Mark Bradley and trainer Troy Desroches. Other likely favorites are Western Bandit (Gary Chappell) and Pembroke Fella (Brian MacPhee).
First race post time is 1 pm for the 16-dash card, which will feature an entire card of stakes races with divisions of the Callbeck memorial for two-year-olds and the Maple Leaf Trot for three-year-old trotters.
Three divisions of the $4,200 Maple Leaf Trot will go postward in races 2, 5 and 8. Last year’s divisional champion Oceanview Kate will make her debut in race 5 with Mike Stevenson in the bike for owner-trainer William Roloson of Belfast.
The Callbeck stakes for two-year-old trotters will kick off the card in race 1, with the next divisions in races 4 and 7. Oceanview Rose will be sent off as the favorite in race 7 from post one for driver Stevenson and trainer Roloson. The P Js Nabby filly trotted an impressive mile in 2:07.4 on June 20 in Charlottetown while competing against aged trotters.
The two-year-old pacing colts will compete in five $5,400 splits of the Callbeck stake, and although most of the horses have just a single qualifying start in their young careers, all eyes will be on race 6 as Silverhill Shadow leaves from post 7 after his 1:59.4 qualifying debut. The Thane Mann trainee will be driven by top Canadian reinsman Paul MacKenzie who is flying in to drive for Mann and trainer Ed Doucette on the card. The Charlottetown native is a winner of 7,719 races lifetime.
The two-year-old pacing fillies will face off in races 3, 9, 11, 13 and 15 for a purse of $5,400 each.
All of the weekend’s action will be streamed live from Redshores.ca.
For entries, click the following link: Entries - Summerside Raceway
(Red Shores)