Many eyes will be fixed on Summerside Raceway this upcoming weekend as it’s time for the 54th running of the Governor's Plate. A race that has eluded Maritime native Carl Jamieson in his Hall of Fame career, the Governor’s Plate is one of P.E.I.’s upcoming signature events on the veteran horseman’s radar for his homebred pacer No Plan Intended.
Owned by Jamieson along with Brian Paquet of Quebec City, Que., No Plan Intended should be circled on every program as he heads into Saturday’s big race as one of the favourites. The four-year-old gelding found himself posing for a picture in the winner’s circle after his Summerside debut when he took the fastest of two eliminations in 1:52.3 last weekend.
No Plan Intended was sired by Jamieson’s former O’Brien Award winner and North America Cup champion Up The Credit. The Nova Scotia native believes No Plan Intended “is one of the best that came from that sire.”
Heading east from Ontario, the four-year-old gelding had a lot of racing to do in a short period of time to be eligible for the Governor’s Plate eliminations. Trained by Colin Johnson and driven by David Dowling while racing in P.E.I., he made his first start at Charlottetown Driving Park on July 2 and finished second in a duel with Beachin Lindy. No Plan Intended followed up that performance with a 2:00.3 qualifier on July 4. After his Governor's Plate elimination race, he had recorded three charted miles in just one week and looked very good doing it.
Jamieson was exceptionally pleased with the results of the last Friday’s elimination.
“He raced super well and had no problems,” Jamieson told Trot Insider. “He had to race three times in six days once he got out there. It was a bit tough on him but that’s the rules.”
No Plan Intended has made it to the winner’s circle 15 times in 45 lifetime starts and has a mark of 1:51.1, which he achieved in back-to-back starts at Woodbine Mohawk Park in June. He has accumulated more than $200,000 in earnings with more than $85,000 won in 2022 alone, only halfway through July. No Plan Intended has been on a hot streak as of late as he has won five of his last six starts, including a four-race win streak in southern Ontario before the gelding moved east. The decision to ship him out east was effortless for Jamieson.
“The only reason I kept him around was to put him in the Gold Cup & Saucer," he said. "I could have sold him a few times but the whole plan was to keep him for it. With him winning four in a row in Ontario, he was starting to get into it tough in Ontario so I thought it would be best to get him climatized out there.”
Last year during his sophomore campaign, No Plan Intended was at the top of the divisional standings in the Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots program and he also made history last August at Dresden Raceway when he broke the track record in 1:53.4. This was No Plan Intended's first race on a half-mile track and was only the second time he raced anywhere other than the seven-eighths track at Woodbine Mohawk Park. Although there is a limited sample size, No Plan Intended has had no issues with the size of the track he faces. Heading into Saturday’s final, he has three wins in four starts on a half-mile surface and one of which is a track record.
Jamieson is no stranger to big races in P.E.I. as he was the trainer and driver for the 2006 Gold Cup & Saucer winner, Banner Yankee. However, Jamieson has never been involved in a Governor’s Plate before. This is a new experience, but the main prize is the Gold Cup and Saucer next month at Charlottetown Driving Park.
“I’ve only won [the Gold Cup & Saucer] the once and I’ve been second and third a few times. It’s one of those races that everyone from the Maritimes wants to win. The plan is for Jody [Jamieson] to go out there and drive him for that.”
With Dowling retaining the drive for the Governor’s Plate, No Plan Intended has drawn the second post position and finds himself in the perfect spot to have a good chance at winning.
“I think he’s one of the best and the post position is fine,” said Jamieson. “I want him to race from behind anyway and not out in front. He’s a real strong finisher.”
No Plan Intended will be greeted by a well-experienced field of competitors. The other elimination winner, Twin B Tuffenuff, gets the nod as the slight favourite on the morning ling with the inside post position, and Beachin Lindy, who is the only horse to have beaten No Plan Intended in his last six starts, has drawn post position six. The last three winners of the Governor’s Plate, Time To Dance, Bugsy Maguire and Rose Run Quest, also draw into this year’s final. Cecil Ladner Memorial champion Rotten Ronnie and Island Beach Boy round out the field.
The first of 13 races at Red Shores Summerside starts at 6:30 p.m. Atlantic time and the card will feature not only the eight pacers fighting over the $30,000 purse in the Governor’s Plate, but also a $7,500 Bob Dewar Memorial consolation along with the Ruby Chappell Memorial Mares Open and Atlantic Sires Stakes for three-year-old colts.
To view Saturday's harness racing entries, click on the following link: Saturday Entries - Summerside Raceway.
(A Trot Insider exclusive by Trey Colbeck)