Avatar J put the finishing touches on a grand slam for driver Gilles Barrieau in winning the $20,000 James (Roach) MacGregor Gold Cup and Saucer Consolation on Friday evening (August 21) at Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park.
Barrieau sat a perfect pocket ride with Avatar J in the top event of the night for his fourth win on the 12-dash card.
Yankee Osborne (driven by Neil MacInnis) guarded the rail in the $20,000 Gold Cup and Saucer Consolation race and set up shop on the front end with splits of :27.2, :56.1 and 1:24.4 while the Danny MacDonald-trained Avatar J sat comfortably in the two-hole. Avatar J tipped out in the stretch drive to power by for a 1:52.4 one-length victory over Yankee Osborne, with Freddy Bear (Marc Campbell) rallying for third.
Jody Sanderson of Cornwall, P.E.I. co-owns the winning American Ideal pacer with Dean Larkin of Edwards, Ont.
Red Dirt Star gave Barrieau his second biggest win of the evening in a $13,600 Lady Slipper Gold division for three-year-old pacing fillies in 1:56.1 over Na Naa Said So (Redmond Doucet) and Watch Me Dance (Jason Hughes). Daniel Ross of Belfast, P.E.I. holds the ownership papers on the Barrieau trainee.
The rest of Barrieau’s four-bagger was kicked off in the race two Donnie and Nan Simmonds Memorial Pace as Howmac Dragonator won in 1:59.3 from the Ron Matheson stable, followed by a $7,300 Lady Slipper Grassroots win in race seven aboard J J Gracie in 1:56.1 from his own stable.
The other $7,300 Grassroots divisions were won by Woodmere Harriet (David Dowling) in 1:56.2 for trainer Myles Heffernan Jr., and Kiss Me Im Irish (Brodie MacPhee) in 1:59.2 from the Tom Weatherbie stable.
Woodmere Skyroller (MacPhee) scored a narrow victory in a $13,600 Lady Slipper Gold division for sophomore pacing fillies, stopping the clock in 1:55 over a hard-charging Dustylane Zambucca (Corey MacPherson) while Elm Grove Ocean (Ken Murphy) completed the triactor. Kevin MacLean trains Woodmere Skyroller for owner Reg MacPherson of Stratford, P.E.I.
Rae Seelster (Adam Merner) had a lifetime best performance in the race one Larry Spencer Memorial Pace with a 1:58.3 victory.
Need To Know scored an upset in the George Wilkie Memorial in race four for trainer/driver Jason Hughes at 7-1 odds.
Total wager was $90,310.
To view Friday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Friday Results - Charlottetown Driving Park
(With files from Red Shores)