Stakes Galore At Charlottetown

Published: September 14, 2014 04:33 am EDT

Charlottetown Driving Park hosted a double-header of PEI Colt Stakes on Saturday with the two-year-olds featured during the afternoon card and three-year-olds front and center in the evening.

Gilles Barrieau, Clare MacDonald and Mike Stevenson each won three of the stakes divisions, which ranged in purses of $5,400 to $6,300.

Barrieau pulled off the biggest upset of the day when he catch-drove Landed Alien to a 1:57.4 triumph, converting from the pocket to defeat heavy favourite Lovineveryminute at odds of 11-1. Jackie Matheson trains the sophomore filly, who earned her first stakes victory and a new lifetime mark. Barrieau also drove two-year-old winners Dixeland Band (1:59) for trainer Kevin MacLean and filly Jann Down (1:59.3) for trainer Stephen Mason.

MacDonald won with two-year-old trainees Gritty Player (1:59.3) and filly Woodmere Dancenart (1:59.4), both owned by Morah Kerr and Phonsie MacEachern. MacDonald and Kerr also share ownership of their homebred sophomore stakes winner Super S Yzerman, who took a new mark of 1:57.3 while pulling off a 10-1 upset in his division.

Stevenson won three sophomore divisions with a filly from his own stable, Sail Through (1:58), and a pair of male pacers, John Clarey trainee Hollywoodgigolo (1:57.3) and the streaking Woodmere Rondevous (1:57.4). Woodmere Rondevous earned his fourth win in a row and completed a perfect day at the track for his trainer Ken Wilkie, who also watched his other stakes starter, two-year-old filly Dusty Lane Bria, improve her record to six-for-seven with a 2:00.4 romp in rein to Kenny Arsenault.

Arsenault doubled up in the freshman events as he also drove Camco Titan to a 1:58.2 score for horseman Earl Watts. Two-year-old filly The Good Wife gave Watts back-to-back wins on the afternoon program when she drew off by six lengths for a 2:01.3 victory in the next race with Gary Chappell catch-driving.

Three-year-old filly Elm Grove Inarush was the fastest PEI Colt Stakes winner after turning back her challengers en route to a 1:56 score. Mark Bradley drove the Eddie Doucette trainee, who earned her ninth win in 14 starts this year.

Other three-year-old filly winners were Dusty Lane Dora (1:57.3) for driver Corey MacPheron and trainer Elton Millar and Fleurje (1:57.1), who is riding a four-race win streak, with Jason Hughes in the sulky for conditioner Nick Oakes.

Also taking turns in the stakes spotlight were freshman Old Stu Da Baker, who broke his maiden in 2:00 for trainer/driver Mike McGuigan, and Myles Heffernan's three-year-old star Dumas Walker, a 1:57.4 winner.

The Atlantic Ages Mares Pacing Series continued on Saturday with two $3,278 divisions. Fresh off a victory in the Albert Goodine Memorial Junior Invite in Fredericton, N.B., horseman Allan Jones' Ramblinglily nailed General Luckypercy on the nose in 1:56 with Marc Campbell aboard while For All We Know defeated Icandothat in 1:57.2, giving Barrieau and Matheson another win photo for their collections.

Jennie & Joe Chippin Memorial champion All Turain was back in action on Saturday and closed out the evening card by winning the $2,400 Preferred in 1:54, carrying Stevenson back to the winner's circle one final time. Trained by Wade Sorrie, All Turain rallied three-wide to overtake pacesetter Touch Of Lightning and kicked away by three lengths.

To view Saturday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Afternoon / Night.

Tags
Have something to say about this? Log in or create an account to post a comment.