Summerside Raceway’s Friday program featured a quartet of Bob Dewar Memorial Stake divisions for three-year-old pacing colts and the fifth leg of the Erwin Andrew for pacing mares, which saw Abby Best roll to a 1:54.4 track record for aged pacing mares
.
Extreme Measure kicked off the stakes action in Race 5, the first $7,000 Bob Dewar division, with a wire-to-wire romp timed in 1:59.1. Shane Bernard drove the Largo-Suddenly Susan to his fourth win in 10 lifetime starts for trainer Tom Weatherbie and owner Charles MacLennan of Charlottetown, P.E.I. Extreme Measure held off the pocket-sitting Pictonian Leo (Mike Stevenson) by three-quarters of a length for the victory while longshot Power Surge (Emmons Ralph Mackay) came on for third.
Ultimate Success succeeded in the second division with a first-over bid in line to trainer Gilles Barrieau. The gelded son of Western Success-Mariart overtook early leader War Dancer (Mike Stevenson) at three-quarters and pulled away by over two lengths for the 1:57.4 score. War Dancer stayed for second and Porthill Gatsy (Todd Trites) finished third off a pocket trip. The win was Ultimate Success’ fifth of the season in 12 tries and eighth of his career for owners Robert Tilley, Lester Mott and Kelly Barrieau, all of Saint John, N.B.
Barrieau returned to the winner’s circle in the following split with the Don Sweet-trained Howmacs Dropnick, who coverted a pocket trip into a life’s best 1:57.3 victory. Pacesetter Rocky Bubba (Marc Campbell) finished a half-length behind in second with Seannee Lad (Alex Sobey) rounding out the top three. Owned by Melvin Willis of Cambridge, Ont., the black Drop Off-Ta Jomar gelding earned his fifth win in 13 starts.
The final division went to Mr Pogge, giving Barrieau a driving hat trick on the 12-race card. The Largo-U Bet Your Life colt waited until the stretch before popping the pocket and sprinting past the leader Stars Xample (Terry Gallant) to win in 1:58.3 by three-quarters of a length. Saulsbrook Quick (Ryan Ellis) finished third after travelling first-over during the middle fractions. Bluefin Stable of Charlottetown, P.E.I owns the winner of three races in 15 starts this year and four races lifetime.
A pair of $2,822 Erwin Andrew divisions for pacing mares were also contested on Friday night with For The Luv Abunny and Abby Best stealing the spotlight.
For The Luv Abunny beat out her four rivals in wire-to-wire fashion for teamsters Bernard McCallum and trainer Dale Pinkney. The four-year-old daughter of Western Paradise-Lots Abunny, who won her third leg division on July 26 at Truro Raceway, stopped the clock in 2:00 flat tonight. Girl In A Hurry (Walter Cheverie) pocketed the silver medal with Milliondollarjen (Clare MacDonald) coming in third. Owned by Jody Campbell of Sydney Mines, N.S., For The Luv Abunny notched her second seasonal victory and 10th of her career lifting her earnings to nearly $50,000.
Abby Best was much the best this evening as she trounced her five rivals in a dazzling track record setting performance. Driven by Clare MacDonald, the eight-year-old Cambest-Armbro Seismic mare moved up from fourth past the half and kicked away by 12 and three-quarter lengths for the 1:54.4 triumph. The time of the mile lowered the 1:56.2 former record for aged pacing mares held by My Fine Lady and R Es Queen Virginia. Timeless Hanover (Walter Cheverie) and Princess Julia (Earl Smith) finished second and third. Angus MacLean of Port Hood, N.S. owns and trains Abby Best, a winner of 11 races in 15 starts this season including her four previous Andrew Erwin divisions. The 36-time winner has banked $65,448 in lifetime earnings.
The sixth leg of the Series is scheduled for Thursday, September 3 at Exhibition Park and the seventh leg will be held on Wednesday, September 9 at Fredericton. Charlottetown Driving Park will host the $15,000 (est.) final on Thursday, October 1.
To view Friday's harness racing results, click here.