Canada Day racing is a tradition in the capital city of New Brunswick, and the 58th running of the Walter Dale Memorial Invitational is set to go on Monday at Fredericton Raceway.
Sponsored by Horse Racing New Brunswick, Moosehead Breweries of Saint John, and Fairview Chrysler Limited of Fredericton, race 13 on Monday will feature the main event.
It's the oldest free-for-all event in the Maritimes and this year the operators of Horse Racing New Brunswick have assembled a stellar six-horse field who will clash for a purse of $4,000.
Prince Edward Island invader Carnivore will look for a feeding frenzy of his competition and has drawn the coveted rail position. Driven by Gord Hennessey, the pacer comes off a second place effort in the final of the Cecil Ladner series in P.E.I pacing his trip in 1:55.2.
Nova Scotia owned Likely To Win would like to do just that on Monday and will leave from post two for Wayne Merner. He was a winner in his last outing at Red Shores in Charlottetown in an impressive 1:55.4.
Saint John teamster Mark Haig gets a great opportunity with a catch driving assignment on Windemere Express from the Earl Watts stable from P.E.I. He sports a charted mile of 1:54.3 two starts back and has all the credentials to be a force to be reckoned with.
Post four will see the first of two Maine entries. Fredericton native Bo Sowers has two chances to win the Walter Dale, and will drive the five-year-old grey gelding Grimsby who sports a win this season of 1:57.1 over Bangor Raceway.
Marc Whebby will steer the five-year-old Nakai Hanover from the five hole and had the Truro Raceway fans buzzing earlier this season with a 1:55.1 triumph. He is owned by Wayne Whebby of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia who is no stranger to Maritime free-for-all events.
Award winning driver Todd Trites has earned the catch-driving assignment on the second Maine entry as he guides Malek Hanover from the outside post-six position for trainer Sowers. He has competed in the two previous Walter Dale Memorials and has been runner-up on both occasions.
Post time for the holiday card on Monday is for 1:00 p.m. with a total of thirteen races. Fans from outside the region can catch all the action streaming online at hrnb.ca and wagering is available on Horseplayer Interactive.
Horse Racing New Brunswick would like to thank the sponsors and horsemen for their support of their Canada Day card, and wish best of luck to all competitors.
To view entries for Monday's card, click the following link: Monday Entries - Fredericton Raceway.
(HRNB)