Lady Cafe Au Lait continued her sensational season on Thursday, Aug. 6 as the Atlantic record holder powered to her 11th consecutive victory at Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park.
The Earl Watts trainee was sent directly to the front by driver Marc Campbell in the $9,000 Aged Pacing Mares Series division in race 16 and never looked back, winning by 4-1/2 lengths in 1:53.1.
Lady Cafe Au Lait ($2.10) controlled fractions of :27.2, :56.4 and 1:26.1 before sprinting home in 27 seconds flat for the victory. Windemere Saddy (Ken Murphy) finished second while Cc Rockin Rosie (Adam Merner) was third.
The four-year-old daughter of Big Jim-Lady Latte has now won 11 straight races for trainer Watts and owners Windemere Farms of Springvale, P.EI. and Matt and David Burke of Stratford, P.E.I. Lady Cafe Au Lait entered the event off a 1:52.1 victory at Red Shores Summerside Raceway where she established a new Atlantic Canadian record for aged pacing mares.
Rosetown Mary ($19.40) pulled off the upset in the other $9,000 Aged Pacing Mares Series division in race 12 for trainer/driver Corey MacPherson, who recorded five driving victories on the program.
Favourite Trumps Girl (Marc Campbell) laid down fractions of :28.1, :56.3 and 1:25.1 before Rosetown Mary unleashed a :27.3 closing quarter to get up by a head in 1:53.2. Trumps Girl finished second with Brokeandoutofgas (Gilles Barrieau) third.
Rosetown Mary, a six-year-old daughter of Pang Shui-Brodys Leona, is owned by Rosetown Stable of Stratford, P.E.I. and Taylor MacPherson of Cornwall, P.E.I. She has won four of her 12 races this year.
Buckhead Ridge ($3.50) captured the $8,000 Island Oceans Trot Series leg in race nine with Marc Campbell driving the six-year-old Nuncio-Tuonela gelding trained by his son Landon.
Fight Song (Jason Hughes) took command before the :58.1 half and was still on top turning for home but Buckhead Ridge found his best stride late to win by three-quarters of a length in 1:56.1. Fight Song was second with West River Jet (Clare MacDonald) third.
Brady Doyle of Stratford, P.E.I. owns the winning trotter, who has won half of his 10 seasonal starts.
The P.E.I. Colt Stakes Graduate Series, presented by Red Shores, had a pair of $6,000 Grassroots divisions.
Freaky Fanny ($4.20) and trainer/driver Darren Crowe went all the way in the race 10 division, winning in 1:55.4 for owner Josh MacDonald of Little Pond, P.E.I. Steady Heart (Marc Campbell) finished one-half length back in second with Islebetu Islebeatu (David Dowling) third. The five-year-old Artspeak-Silverhill Bunna mare has victories in all three legs of the series.
Saulsbrook Pika ($4.70) captured the second Graduate Series division in race 14 for driver Corey MacPherson and trainer Ron Matheson. Sensational Gal (Gilles Barrieau) cut every fraction before Saulsbrook Pika came calling in the stretch to win by 1-3/4 lengths in 1:55.2. Woodmere Kennedie (Campbell) completed the triactor.
MacPherson also won with Justbeachy ($13.70) in 1:58.2 for trainer Michelle Myers in race one, Camluck Lady ($4) in 1:56.3 for Chris MacKay in race three and his own trainee Fitness First ($3.90) in 1:54 in race 13.
Marc Campbell and Ken Murphy each had driving triples on the card.
The total wager on the 16-race program was $133,204.
Live racing continues on Saturday at 5 p.m. (ADT) at Red Shores Charlottetown.
To view Thursday's harness racing results, click the following link: Thursday Results - Charlottetown Driving Park.
(With files from Red Shores)