One of the east coast's elite pacers will have to battle Prince Edward Island’s hottest pacer in the Thursday night (September 22) feature at Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park.
First race post time is 6:30 p.m., with the race 11 featured event lining up a full field of eight for a $2,000 purse.
Forever Paradise has been racing the very best in Atlantic Canadian racing and now gets some class relief coupled with rail control in Thursday’s contest for driver Mike McGuigan, trainer Kevin MacLean and P.E.I. owners Reg MacPherson, David MacKenzie and Aaron MacKenzie. The red-hot Likely To Win has post three with Adam Merner in the bike for Nova Scotia owners Blenise Young and Lester Campbell, along with Jeffrey Campbell of Alberta. Likely To Win has landed in the winner’s circle his last three starts, including his latest in a lifetime-tying best of 1:55.4.
Race analyst Les MacIsaac views rail control for Forever Paradise as too hard to ignore.
“Gets a bit of class relief for this one and if that’s not enough to get you interested, he gets the rail as a bonus,” MacIsaac said. “That combination could spell trouble for his opposition.”
Other entries in Thursday’s competitive top pace include McJestic (Jason Hughes), Tempo Seelster (Vincent Poulton), Perfect Escape (Gilles Barrieau), Cabo Pan Lucas (Danny MacDonald), Eagle Jolt (Marc Campbell) and First Art Down (Ken Murphy).
A track record for his gender and a three-race win streak against the top trotters East of Quebec is enough to get you assigned to post eight in the Open. Freddie has been saddled with the far outside in the $1,850 sixth race while his other seven rivals enjoyed an open draw. Campbell trains and drives Freddie for the Three Wisemen Stable of Cornwall, P.E.I., and the connections basked in the spotlight in their latest outing as he was a 1:57.4 winner giving him the gelding track record and the third fastest trot mile in the history of Atlantic Canadian racing, just two-fifths shy of Osprey Impact’s overall track record. Osprey Impact is absent this week, leaving Freddie’s top competition as former Charlottetown track record holder Thunderaway (Hughes), along with Frill Seeker (Kenny Arsenault).
To view Thursday's harness racing entries, click on the following link: Thursday Entries - Charlottetown Driving Park.
(With files from Red Shores)