All eyes were on the red-hot pacing filly Mystifying during the Saturday (August 14) afternoon card of harness racing at Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park, but Tobins Brownie put the spotlight on her with a track record performance in Atlantic Sires Stakes action.
Those two talented fillies faced off in one of two $15,460 AtSS 'A' divisions, with Mystifying (Gilles Barrieau) leaving from the outermost post and five rivals to her inside. David Dowling pushed strongly off the gate and cleared Somebodys Me (Jason Hughes) for command before a :27.4 opener.
Tobins Brownie maintained solid tempo throughout a :57.4 half, with Mystifying advanced first up from fourth just after the midway point to prompt acceleration from the pacesetter. The three quarter mile point was reached in 1:25.4, with Tobins Brownie well in command and Mystifying doing her best to gain on the leader. That attempt fell more than four lengths short as Tobins Brownie powered home in :28 to trip the timer in a life's best 1:53.4. That mile time shaved off two-fifths of a second from the existing track standard of 1:54.1 co-held by Saulsbrook Ocean and Streakazana.
Dowling trains Tobins Brownie (Stonebridge Terror - Putnams Mackenzie) for PEI-based owners James Quinn of York, Carl Peterson of Hunter River, Amy Lakie of Montague and Brittany Watts of Springvale. Notching her second win of the year, Tobins Brownie sports a lifetime summary 11-4-0 from 18 starts with $71,282 in earnings.
Elm Grove Penney and driver Marc Campbell captured the first AtSS 'A' division, giving sire Stonebridge Terror a sweep of the 'A' splits while also taking a new mark in the process. Campbell allowed 4/5 shot Aspoonfulofsugar (Walter Cheverie) to carve out panels of :27.3 and :56.2 while sitting in third, then angled out for a first-over attack heading down the backside.
With Aspoonfulofsugar lacking a response for that challenge, Campbell cleared to the lead heading into the far turn after hitting three quarters in 1:26. Emmy Lou Hayes (Jason Hughes) followed Elm Grove Penney into contention around the far turn and then tipped out to take a run at the leader in the stretch. Elm Grove Penney had enough left in the tank to prevail over Emmy Lou Hayes by a half-length in 1:55.1. Woodmere Leah (Darren Crowe) was best of the rest in third.
Elm Grove Penney (Stonebridge Terror - Emberlee) picked up just her third lifetime win in 20 starts for trainer Danny Romo and owner Ian Banks of Bible Hill, N.S., with all three of her wins coming on P.E.I. The lion's share of the purse lifts her bankroll to $33,371.
The hot temperatures translated into fast miles with nine of the 12 winners earning new lifetime marks in the process. Among those taking new speed badges were AtSS 'B' winners Slightly Twisted (Ken Murphy / Frank Banks / 1:57.1 / $31.60) and Fern Hill Fancy (Gilles Barrieau / 1:57.3 / $4.70).
Daisy River earned a new lifetime mark of 1:56.4 in the $3,000 Colonel Dan Old Home Week Trot, just missing the existing track standard of 1:56.2. Jason Hughes engineered the winning trip for owner-trainer-breeder William Lanigan of Montague, P.E.I. Osprey Media (Cheverie) was second with favoured track record holder Cheeky Little Minx (Barrieau) coming in for show.
Handle for the Saturday afternoon card was $65,345. Live harness racing continues on Saturday night with the first two trials for the 2021 Guardian Gold Cup and Saucer.
To view the results from the Saturday afternoon card, click the following link: Saturday Results - Charlottetown Driving Park.