The Atlantic Sires Stakes two-year-old filly pacers were out in full force on Wednesday night at Red Shores Summerside.
A pair of fillies bred by Woodmere Farms that were in line to the 'queen' of the Maritimes, Clare MacDonald, stole the show, winning two of the three 'A' divisions.
Woodmere Articblue, owned by Tayna Tremblett and Stevi Jardine, converted off a perfect two-hole ride, winning by half a length over pacesetter Pictonian Stardust (Mike Stevenson) in 2:05.3. The filly sprinted home in a blistering :28.2 last quarter over a rain soaked oval.
MacDonald placed Woodmere Dancenart on the front in Race 10 and never looked back, sailing on to win by a length in 2:03.3 over Jann Down (Gilles Barrieau) and Party Rockin (Danny Romo). The filly is owned by Morah Kerr and Phonsie MacEachern.
Dusty Lane Bria, owned by Kenny Wilike and Larry Chappell, was the fastest winner of the three 'A' divisions. She made a rush to the lead at the half and went on to win by two length in 2:00.1, taking the lion's share on the $9,660 purse. The victory also gave Kenny Arsenault his second driving win on the card. Three Pink Bows (MacDonald) was second and Swift Taylor (Stevenson) was third.
Arsenault's first win came in Race 2 aboard Bossy Brilla in the first 'B' division. The Queens Jubilee and Barrieau picked up the victory in the second division.
Windfall Bluechip made his return to the racetrack from the breeding shed a winning one, capturing the evening's feature race in 1:59.1. The win gave Arsenault his third victory of the night. Van Zant finished second and P C Shockwave was third.
Marc Campbell also enjoyed a driving triple on the night with Union Dues in the first and a pair of Wayne Merner trainees, Sweet Sweet Rosco and Pasta Vera, later in the card. The triple moved him into the lead for the Basil Whelan Memorial trophy, which is awarded to the top driver during Governor's Plate week. Campbell has seven wins on the week, Arsenault is just one back with six.
Mike "In The Bike" Stevenson moved one step closer to a career milestone winning the fifth race trot with Osprey Impact for owner/trainer Paul Larrabee. The win puts Stevenson only two away from 1,500.
Racing returns to Red Shores Summerside on Thursday evening at 7 p.m. with the three-year-old filly pacers taking center stage in the Atlantic Sires Stakes.
To view Summerside's harness racing results, click on the following link: Wednesday Results - Summerside Raceway.
(With files from Red Shores)