Mappos Lion unleashed a powerful stretch kick to capture the fourth event of the P.E.I. Free-For-All Series during Harness The Hope Night on Saturday, July 25 at Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park.
Race favourite Ammo (Gilles Barrieau) controlled the tempo in the $10,000 feature through fractions of :27.1, :56.1 and 1:24.2 with Mappos Lion sitting the three-hole for Ryan Desroche. Mappos Lion vaulted off the pylons as they spun for home, and he motored in :26.1 to nab Ammo by a head in 1:51.2. Bee Two Bee (Jason Hughes) finished third.
The Taylor Doyle-trained Mappos Lion won his second straight race, moving to 10-for-11 this season for owners Hailee Currie of Rocky Point, P.E.I. and Carol Campbell of Baddeck, N.S. The nine-year-old son of Sunshine Beach-Pacific Playmate gelding has racked up 40 wins and $338,727 in earnings from 94 career starts. He paid $8 to win.
The first $6,000 P.E.I. Colt Stakes Graduate Series Grassroots division went to Starship Glyde ($7.60) for driver Paul Langille and trainer Earl Watts. The six-year-old son of Control The Moment-American Chocolate stopped the clock in 1:53.3 for owner Windemere Farms of Springvale, P.E.I. Howmac Exclusive (David Dowling) was second with Bettim Alive (Jaycob Sweet) third.
Langille completed the Grassroots sweep as trainer-driver of Good Omen ($4.40). The five-year-old Betterthancheddar-Paulas Promise gelding rallied from sixth to win in 1:56.2 for owners Rosanne Langille and Ellie Driscoll of Lower Onslow, N.S. Rosiesmightymoe (Barrieau) finished second with Woodmere Sinatra (Dowling) and Brookdale Layton (Ken Murphy) dead-heating for third.
Fast Louie ($5.60) delivered the fastest mile of the evening in the ninth race for driver Dowling and trainer Jennifer Doyle. The five-year-old Sweet Lou-Lorrie Please gelding sat behind pacesetter Malevolent (Langille) before taking over in the stretch and winning by open lengths in 1:51.1. Malevolent was second with Allaboutthecash (Brady Sweet) third.
Dowling and Doyle teamed up again in the 11th race with High Praise ($7.60), who prevailed in 1:54.3 over Navalny (Brady Sweet) in a photo, with Rose Run X Con (Barrieau) third. The pair of victories put Doyle at 499 career wins as a trainer.
Live racing continues on Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Red Shores Summerside.
To view Saturday's harness racing results, click the following link: Saturday Results - Charlottetown Driving Park.
(Red Shores)