Old Home Week 2014 is starting to come down to the wire, but not until four more cards are complete.
Friday afternoon Red Shores' Charlottetown will play host to four Grassroots divisions of the Lady Slipper for three-year-old fillies. The 12-dash card gets underway at 1 p.m.
Racing for a purse of $5,000, the first division lines up in race five. Gracious Minnie has drawn the outside post seven for owners Paul Murphy and Lenny Myers. The Ameripan Gigolo filly has the best time in her last start finishing fourth and pacing her mile in 1:58. She has faced the Atlantic Sire Stakes 'A's in her last two starts. Myers does the training and driving.
Charlottes Style is the richest starter in the race five, first division, falling just shy of the $10,000 cutoff for the Grassroots division. She is owned by the Turn For Home Stable. The daughter of Coasttocoast Yankee comes in showing her first clean line in over a month -- she paced in 1:58.4 for trainer/driver Kenny Arsenault. She will leave from post two. R Es Confusion, Acton Royal Force, Union Dues, Mademoiselle Neeld and Rhondas Example round out the field.
In race seven, Willow Warrior will look to return to her winning ways after seeing her three-race win streak snapped last week. The Brendan Curran trainee missed her first top two finish this season last time out. Mark Bradley will handle the driving duties on the daughter of Western Terror for owner Alby Curran. She is listed as the morning line favourite.
Right next door is Woodmere Trulyblue, coming in off of an impressive qualifier in 1:59.2. She will pick up the driving services of Paul MacKenzie. The Articulator filly is owned by Susanne Mac Keigan and Gary Arsenault. Blaine McKenna does the training. Coconut Ladida, Tobins Beauty, Howmac Missy, Waterhook and Sendmeasign are the other five entries.
Landed Alien has been enrolled as the morning line favourite in the third Grassroots division. The Jackie Matheson trainee was a winner two back in 2:01.2, but was interfered with in her last race. Arsenault will be back aboard the Aahm Canadian Now filly for owner Darlene Compton. She leaves from post five.
Gilles Barrieau picks up the catch-driving call on Rosa Santanna from post three for the Spud Island Stable and trainer Jamie Smith. The Santanna Blue Chip filly has $6,372 to her bankroll from 19 lifetime starts. Regular pilot Marc Campbell will drive his own trainee Eastern Eden from post one for owner Perry Burke. Golden Claw, Southside Success, Larsheis and R Es Kate are the other starters.
Tarahumara headlines the final division from the outside post seven. The daughter of Ameripan Gigolo was second in her Atlantic Sire Stakes 'B' division last Saturday for owner/trainer/driver Donnie Mac Neill. The two-entry Mirages Magic has placed in the top three five times this season from seven tries. Irwin Cleaner is the owner, trainer and breeder on the daughter of Articulator. Darren Crowe will drive. The competition includes Caspiana, Sea Queen, Bendable Fashion, Shady Kowalski and Pownal Bay Tia.
In the afternoon finale, Motor Shark will look to extend his win streak to three for owners Arthur Jay and Tommy Collings. The three-year-old son of Cams Card Shark was a winner two back in a lifetime best 1:56.3 by 10 lengths. He followed that up with a 1:57 score, both for trainer/driver Jason Hughes. He has drawn post five.
To view Friday afternoon's harness racing entries, click on the following link: Friday Entries (Afternoon) - Charlottetown Driving Park.
(With files from Red Shores)