A fresh crop of two-year-olds takes centre stage on Wednesday evening, July 16 at Red Shores at the Summerside Raceway in a pair of Gold divisions of the P.E.I. Colt Stakes for freshman pacing colts as part of Governor’s Plate Week racing.
The 13-dash Wednesday card has a 6 p.m. (ADT) opening post time.
The $16,000 first Gold division goes behind the gate in race four with five rookies set to line up. Tobins Gem has the edge off the board after a sparkling debut on July 6 at Truro Racewat, where he delivered a 1:59.2 victory in Atlantic Sires Stakes for trainer George Rennison and driver Marc Campbell. The son of Flameproof Hanover and Grace Seelster rallied first-over to collar the tempo-setter and will leave from post three in his next test as the likely top choice for owner Rennison Racing Inc. of Truro, N.S.
The top threat could be Real Fancy Pants, who was second in his debut in Truro. The Ashley Gamester trainee drew post four this time and will look to flip the script in round two with Jason Hughes driving.
Proven Houdini (Clare MacDonald), McLovin (Kenny Arsenault) and Zero Two Sixty (Robert Laffin) complete the field.
The "Backstretch Beat" leans toward Tobins Gem for the repeat: “Tobins Gem never saw a whole lot of pylons in his debut and still kept driving for the win. He’s the one to beat again today.”
The second $16,000 Gold division is carded as race nine and it brings together five more promising colts, led by the undefeated Sporty Anthony from post three. The son of Somewhere Fancy and Southwind Ion was sharp in his career debut in the Atlantic Sires Stakes in Truro, winning in 1:56.3 for driver Ken Murphy, owner/trainer Jason Biggar of Miscouche, P.E.I., and co-owner/breeder Jason Williams of McNeills Mills, P.E.I. He projects to be front and centre again.
Rollwiththewarden, trained and driven by Corey MacPherson, won his lifetime debut in 1:59 in Sires Stakes action and gets another crack from post four while Tiziano, campaigned by Clare MacDonald, rides the rail.
Other entries are Woodmere Kobe (Arsenault) and Tobins Nibbler (Hughes).
The "Backstretch Beat" sides with the undefeated Sporty Anthony in this division: “Sporty Anthony was incredible in his debut. He’ll likely be fired up from the start again today and we don’t see him getting beat.”
The program also features P.E.I. Colt Stakes Grassroots divisions in races one, three, five, seven, 11 and 13.
To view Wednesday's harness racing entries, click the following link: Wednesday Entries - Summerside Raceway.
(With files from Red Shores)