Serious Damage rallied wide off cover to prevail in the 43rd edition of the $16,000 Governor's Plate and deny two-time champion and last year's runner-up Outlawpositivcharg another victory in the historic event, which wrapped up Lobster Carnival Week at Red Shores at Summerside Raceway on Saturday night
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Leaving from the inside post position, As Tuff As Nails (Marc Whebby) took command of the field and dueled with elimination winner Oakmont (Marc Campbell) past fractions of :27, :55.2 and 1:25 while Walter Dale Memorial champion Serious Damage and Kenny Arsenault and elimination winner Outlawpositivcharg (Terry Gallant) followed from second and third over.
At the third quarter mark, Arsenault sent his charge wide and kicked home in :29.1 for the 1:54.3 triumph by two and a half lengths. Outlawpositivcharg also went three-deep as he rallied home for second. Favourite Formal Affair (Mark Bradley) finished third, five lengths behind, while As Tuff As Nails faded to fourth.
“I heard Terry [Gallant] coming with his horse, and I got out in front of him,” said Arsenault after the victory. “My horse fought Terry’s horse off real strong and I had the strongest horse in the stretch.”
The 51-year-old reinsman earned his first 'Plate' victory of his career.
Earl Watts trains the seven-year-old Allamerican Ingot-Serious Smile gelding for Islanders Wade Peconi of Breadalbane and Ryan MacPhee of Cornwall. The victory was Serious Damage’s third win in 12 seasonal starts and 19th lifetime, and boosted his earnings to $22,567 for 2011 and $149,724 lifetime.
Serious Damage paid $13.10 to win as the 5-1 fourth choice.
Bet The House ($15) and Gallant rallied wide to capture the $5,000 consolation by one length in 1:55.2 for trainer Blaine McKenna, who also co-owns the five-year-old Bettors Delight-Tsunami Hanover gelding with Gary Arsenault of Miscouche, P.E.I.
There was lots of exciting action on the undercard, which featured the Late Closer For Fillies & Mares final and Atlantic Sires Stakes.
Elimination winners Onehotvett and Abby Best knocked heads in the $7,250 Late Closer For Fillies & Mares final, but in the end it was Onehotvett who got the job done for driver Gilles Barrieau and trainer Wade Sorrie.
Grace And Harv (Mike Stevenson) cleared ahead of Abby Best before the :27.3 first quarter, but found herself back in the pocket as Abby Best regained the lead and posted the half in :57.4.
Meanwhile, odds-on favourite Onehotvette moved underway from fifth and applied pressure to the leader as they neared three-quarters in 1:27.
Onehotvett put away Abby Best as they entered the stretch and extended her lead to three lengths before hitting the wire in 1:57.1. J K Special (Walter Cheverie) finished one and a half lengths behind in second with Grace And Harv third and Abby Best settling for fourth.
Onehotvett earned her seventh win in 23 starts this year and lifted her earnings to $26,798 in the process. The six-year-old Goliath Bayama-Vals Vett mare is owned by Walter Simmons of Summerside. She now boasts 17 wins on her lifetime record and a $188,324 bankroll.
Onhotvett paid $5.80 to win.
Th Kenny Arsenault-trained and driven Meridian Magic ($5.80) went all the way to win the $2,750 consolation in 1:58.3. The four-year-old daughter of Largo-Hot Asset scored her 30th career win while making her 40th start for breeder Barry Martin, who co-owns with James Gillis – both of Sydney, N.S.
Maritime Breeders runner-up Putnams Power captured the first of three $8,980 Atlantic Sires Stakes 'A' divisions for three-year-old pacing colts also featured on the 16-race card.
Pictonians Matador (Mike Stevenson) emerged as the leader from a wall of early leavers and posted the opening quarter in :28.1 before coming under attack from Putnams Power and trainer-driver Danny Romo by the next marker in :57.3. Laying on the pressure, Putnams Powers began to edge ahead as they neared three-quarters in 1:25.4. The son of Force Of Life-Southview Shania cleared the lead and opened up two lengths in the stretch to score the career-best 1:55.4 victory. Putnams Art (Bernard McCallum) came on for second over Pictonians Matador.
Putnams Power paid $6.10 to win for fourth time in seven seasonal starts. Ronald Seymour Jr. and Bruce Donovan of Glace Bay, N.S. share ownership of career winner of $86,011, who boasts 17 wins in 23 starts and has never finished worse than third.
Maritimer pulled off a 13-1 upset in the second ‘A’ division in a career-best 1:57 clocking.
Tiger Williams (Earl Smith) set the tempo with fractions of :29.2, :58 and 1:27.2 with favourite Pictonians Souwest (Mike Stevenson) applying first over pressure and Maritimer and Gillies Barrieau fourth at the rail. Turning for home, Pictonians Souwest began to fade while Maritimer launched his attack, firing home in :29-seconds to prevail by a length and a quarter over the pacesetter. Pocket-sitter Skipjack (Marc Campbell) finished third.
Maritimer paid $28 to win. The son of Full Scholarship-Country Chill is trained by George Rennison for owner Barbara Pearl of Hants Co, N.S. After winning his only race as a freshman, Maritimer earned his second win in five seasonal starts this year to push his lifetime earnings to $6,155.
Howdidchado did very well for trainer-driver Terry Gallant, who co-owns with his partner on Outlawpositivecharg, J. Fred Lamont of Calgary, Alta., as he turned in a 1:57.3 winning effort in the final ‘A’ division.
The son of Signyourlifeaway-So Shy fired to command from Post 3 stuffing Windemere Express (Shane Bernard) into the pocket during a :28.1 opening quarter. Howdidchado proceeded to the half in :58.2 and three-quarters in 1:27.3 with Woodmere Sandman (Stephen Trites) looming from the first over spot, but never getting close enough to steal the spotlight. Howdidchado sprinted home for the victory, holding off a quick-closing Sock It To Em (Darren Crowe). Woodmere Sandman finished third.
Howdidchado paid $6.10 to win as the 2-1 second choice. The victory was his fourth in 11 seasonal starts and sixth lifetime lifting his career earnings to $21,414.
Four $2,500 ‘B’ divisions were also contested with Scootinupthecoast ($25.40) rallying from last to first for a 2:01 maiden-breaking score in the first split with Mike Stevenson in the bike. The son of Coasttocoast Yankee-Scooting Annie is trained by Wade Sorrie for Peggy Connors of Shediac Cape, N.B.
The Bernard McCallum-trained and driven Putnams Gold ($9.80) advanced first over and edged out pocket-sitter Stoveonfire in the next ‘B’ division to score in a career-best 2:00.2. Shawn Putnam of Great Village, N.S. owns and bred the Cookie Dough Boy-Tooles Gold gelding.
Aarons Ambition ($9.60) converted from the pocket to win his division in 1:57.4 over pacesetter New School for the tandem of driver Mark Bradley and trainer David Rose. The gelded son of Full Scholarship-Cindyella is owned by Philip Valley of Vernon Bridge, P.E.I.
The final split went to pocket-sitter Shadowcross Cliff ($18.90), who edged out pacesetter Bold Harrods by a neck in 2:01. Todd Trites drove the gelded son of Benvolio Hanover-Rose Totheoccasion for owner-trainer Clair Sweet.
For results from Saturday’s harness racing card, click on the following link: Saturday Results – Summerside Raceway.
(With quotes from the Journal Pioneer)