Escape The News wore down the pacesetting Up The Credit in the stretch to win the first $10,000 Gold Cup & Saucer Trial on Saturday night at Charlottetown Driving Park
With insider State Treasurer (Kenny Arsenault) breaking stride into the first turn, Mach It Big (Brad Forward) established the early lead with Up The Credit (Carl Jamieson) rolling up to take over command during the opening quarter in :27.1.
Charlottetown's leading driver Mark Campbell elected to send Escape The News first over and applied pressure to the leader through middle splits of :56.2 and 1:24.2 before gaining the upper hand in front of the grandstand. Escape The News prevailed by one and a quarter lengths in 1:52.2 over Up The Credit while R Caan (Gilles Barrieau) earned the third spot in next week's final.
"Kenny's horse made a break [in the first turn] and he couldn't get him in out of the way and I just kind of stayed out of trouble and waited for the right time to move," said Campbell after the race. "I kind of thought going to the quarter I'd have to be first up so I just eased him out. The closer he got to the leader the more he grabbed on and the faster he went."
The four-year-old Artiscape gelding is owned by North America's leading trainer Ron Burke (as Ron Burke Racing) along with partners Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Jjk Stables LLC, and Howard Taylor.
The second trial will take place on Sunday, August 11 (first race post time 1 p.m.) and the third will be held on Monday, August 12 (first race post time 7 p.m.). The 54th running of the Gold Cup & Saucer is scheduled for Saturday, August 17 at Charlottetown Driving Park.
Earlier in the evening, Real Housewife lowered the track record for aged trotting mares to 1:59.2 with a six and three-quarter length romp in the Erwin Andrew Memorial Trotting Series second leg. Campbell also drove the four-year-old Ken Warkentin mare, who shaved three-fifths of a second off Dusty Lane Shelby's former track record while notching her second series win. Danny Romo handles the training duties for owner Grayland Farm of Pugwash, N.S.
Who Took That, a runner-up in round one of the series, found the winner's circle this time out with a dominant eight and a half-length victory in the other $3,000 division. The five-year-old Striking Sahbra mare stopped the clock in 2:02.1 in rein to Mike McGuigan for trainer Mitch Tierney and co-owner William Andrew of Calgary, Alta.
The Spud Island Classic Late Closer for pacing mares also continued on Saturday with its second leg. Campbell picked up another victory in the $2,250 divisions with Dirt Track Momma scoring her fifth win in a row in 1:56.2 for owner/trainer Jonah Moase of Cornwall, P.E.I. Jackie Matheson trainee General Luckypercy and Robert Shepherd were the fastest series winners in 1:56 for owners Jodilyn Shepherd of Cambridge, Ont. and Jack Brown of Stratford, P.E.I.
Saturday’s afternoon card featured three-year-old pacing fillies in their fifth Atlantic Sires Stakes event of the season with the leading ladies in the standings all delivering on the pari-mutuel promises.
Division leader Ramblinglily racked up her fourth ATSS victory with a 1:58.4 front end effort in rein to Brodie MacPhee. She won by nearly five lengths over Carol Alice and Kaitlins Kowgirl. Trainer Allan Jones shares ownership of the homebred Articulator-Crafty Jewel filly with Normand Leger of Shediac, N.B.
Whistys Paradise journeyed first over to win her third ATSS division in 1:57.1 by a neck over Rose Valley with Windemere Maggie one and a half lengths behind in third. Ernest Laffin drove the Western Paradise-Whist Hanover miss for trainer Blair Laffin and owner Christopher Laffin of Mill Village, N.S.
Western Judy and trainer/driver Marc Campbell held off Misssassy Attitude to win the other division by half a length in 1:58.1 for local owner Blair Hansen. Ultimate Cowgirl was third. The win was the first in ATSS action this season for the Articulator-West Wishes miss, but followed top three finishes in three other events leaving her third in the standings behind the other division winners.
Bens Cadillac sparked a $329 win payout with his 163-1 upset in a “B” division. The first-time winner stopped the clock in 2:03.2 for the driver-trainer team of Norris and Arthur Rogers. The other $2,500 “B” divisions were won by Ultrasleek and trainer/driver Ryan Perrot in 2:02.3 and Putnams Snap in 2:00 with Mike Stevenson aboard for conditioner Wade Sorrie.
To view Saturday's harness racing results, click on the following links: Saturday Afternoon / Saturday Night.