After finishing behind him in four straight starts, Fight Song defeated Buckhead Ridge with a wire-to-wire performance in the $4,200 Open Trot at Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park on Thursday, Aug. 21.
Fight Song protected pylon position for Jason Hughes, giving the cold shoulder to the sharp-leaving Desert Hayz (Ryan Desroche) en route to the quarter in :29. After a single-file half in :58.4, Buckhead Ridge (Marc Campbell) started his march coming down the backstretch and flew up to the leader's wheel by three-quarters in 1:28.1. But that was as far as Buckhead Ridge would advance, as Fight Song trotted home in :28 to hold the odds-on favourite a length behind and end his rival's four-race winning streak in a 1:56.1 victory. Desert Hayz finished third.
Fight Song took his fifth win of the season in 25 outings. Ashley Gamester trains the son of Kadabra-Fortunes Of Fables for owner Donald MacRae of Vernon Bridge, P.E.I. The six-year-old is now 28-for-118 lifetime with $228,661 in earnings. He paid $5.40 to win.
Rookie pacing filly Saulsbrook Rolo remained perfect in five career starts with a victory in a $3,700 overnight event on the card. The daughter of Roll With Joe-Saulsbrook Alana delivered on her 1-9 billing in the Thursday finale, scoring in 1:57.1. Marc Campbell brushed her to the front after a :28.1 first stanza, and the filly put up :57.1 and 1:28.2 middle fractions before handily holding off Woodmere Lizzie (Corey MacPherson) down the lane by a half-length. Woodmere Betcha (Mike McGuigan) was third.
Saulsbrook Rolo ($2.10) has now earned $23,199 for trainer Landon Campbell and owner Carl Stafford of Conception Bay South, N.L. She has won two stakes events this year and took a lifetime mark of 1:55.2 in her last start.
Earlier on the card, trotters clashed in the D & G Younker Memorial with a $3,600 purse in Race 3. Majian Salsa ($5.60) came out on top in 1:59.2 for driver Ken Murphy, trainer Jim Ripley, and owner Marylea Ripley of Amherst, N.S.
Also on the program, Hughes and Gamester teamed up to win with Pop The Pin ($9) in a 1:57.2 mile in Race 2, and the driver completed his triple in Race 7 with the Todd Walsh-trained Miss Maddie P ($4.30) in 1:57.4.
Live racing continues on Saturday at 6 p.m. at Red Shores Charlottetown.
To view Thursday's harness racing results, click the following link: Thursday Results - Charlottetown Driving Park.
(Standardbred Canada & Red Shores)