Trotting stars of the Atlantic Sires Stakes program were on display at the Charlottetown Driving Park on Tuesday afternoon, and if you didn't have a son or daughter of Northern Bailey you were fighting a losing battle.
Offspring of the former OSS star swept all five divisions of the ATSS, starting with the filly, My Daisy Duke, in the first of two $7,040 divisions for co-ed sophomores. Corey MacPherson managed to track cover with the daughter of Northern Bailey-My Dusty Lane, and when he called on to track down the leaders in the late going she complied. She used a :31.1 closing panel to prevail by 1-3/4 lengths over Sweetwater Rukkus in a career-best clocking of 2:03. Taking home the show dough was Majian Chester.
Paul MacDonald trains the homebred for owner Jonathan MacDonald of North Wiltshire, PE. The victory was her second of the season and her sixth to date. She’s put more than $8,000 on her card this season, and her lifetime bankroll climbed to $32,212 with the win.
Est Non Ila Dulcis went into her $7,040 assignment with an 0-for-6 record, but she went home 1-for-7 thanks to her come-from-behind score in 2:02.1 for trainer/driver Marc Campbell. The Northern Bailey-Rich Dreams lass was parked throughout the first half of the contest before clearing to the top and taking the field to the three-quarter pole in 1:31.2. She dug in deep in the late stages of the mile en route to freezing the teletimer in 2:02.1. Race favourite, B J Carmalyta, rallied from last to finish three-quarters of a length behind the winner, while Majian Dillion hung on bravely for the show award after parking first-over in the final half of the tilt.
Buntainwood Farm of Brackley Beach, PE owns the sophomore, who was a $4,000 purchase from the 2010 Nova Scotia Provincial Exhibition Yearling Sale. She’s put together a 1-2-0 record from seven starts this season after being unraced as a freshman. She’s managed to stash away close to $7,000 in earnings.
A trio of $5,160 divisions went to the gate for the rookie trotters, and the first of the co-ed contests went to West River Xcel and trainer/driver Clare MacDonald in 2:09.4. The daughter of Northern Bailey-Dunmore Skye sat behind Irish Lullaby through fractions of :32.3, 1:05.1 and 1:37.4 before the leader rolled into a break. West River Xcel inherited the top spot and never relinquished it en route to a nine-length thumping in 2:09.4. Topway was second to the 4-5 favourite, with Northern Trapper taking home third prize.
West River Stock Farms of Antigonish, NS bred and owns the maiden-breaking winner, who now boasts a 1-2-0 record from her first five trips behind the starting gate. Her bankroll sits at just below $6,000.
Im Graceful earned her second consecutive stakes score thanks to a front-stepping victory in the second division for driver Gary Chappell and trainer Stacey Lund. The daughter of Northern Bailey-Picture Of Grace strolled through splits of :31.4, 1:03.2 and 1:35.3 before using a :32-second final frame to seal the deal in 2:07.3. She was 2-1/4 lengths up on runner-up, I Aint No Lady, with Rash Statement rounding out the top three finishers.
The homebred improved this year’s record to 2-1-0 in five starts for the Kensington, PE partners, owner/breeder Chris MacKay along with David and Debbie Macmurdo. She’s banked just over $6,500 to date.
Taliesin, the only male stakes winner on the card, went coast-to-coast in his division in a time of 2:08.2 for trainer/driver Marc Campbell. The son of Northern-Bailey-Southview Leah led through speed intervals of :32.1, 1:04.3 and 1:36.3 before using a :31.4 final frame to secure the half-length tally over race favourite, Dusty Lane Nick. Windemere Norma was a distant third.
Sent off as a 9-2 outsider, Taliesin won for the second time in four tries for her owners, Buntainwood Farm of Brackley Beach, PE. The $6,000 purchase from last year’s Atlantic Classic Yearling Sale has potted earnings in excess of $4,700 to date.
To view results for Tuesday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Tuesday Results – Charlottetown Driving Park.