The very best performers in Atlantic Canadian harness racing are coming to play this weekend at Red Shores’ Charlottetown Driving Park for the Atlantic Breeders Crown finals and consolations.
Saturday afternoon features the four pacing consolations. The 13-dash card will kick off with 1 p.m. first-race post time. The first $5,000 consolation will line up for Race 6 and will feature two-year-old pacing fillies. They will be followed by the two-year-old pacing colts (Race 8), the three-year-old fillies (Race 10) and the three-year-old colts (Race 12).
The Open trot will line up for Race 5 and the race favourite Zip The Lip, will start from Post 5 in the compact five-horse field for driver Brian MacPhee. Zip The Lip is co-owned by trainer Don Sweet and Orville Willis, both of O’Leary. Zip The Lip will face top competitors Frill Seeker (to be driven by Kenny Arsenault) and Caliban Hanover (Ron Gass).
The Sunday afternoon championship program will kick off at 1 p.m. There will be six ABC finals on a 14-dash card.
Race 2 is the $9,000 Atlantic Breeders Crown final for two-year-old trotters, sponsored by Meridian Farms. Tyne Valley is the favourite in the eight-horse-field over top entries Suicide Shift (Steven Shepherd) and Windemere Ty (Jack Panting). Tyne Valley will have the driving services of Mike Stevenson for co-owner and trainer William Roloson and co-owners Scott Roloson of Belfast and Kristi Pickering of Charlottetown.
The three-year-old trotters will do battle in their ABC final, sponsored by Meridian Farms, in Race 5. Race favourite Seanchai is shouldered with Post 7 for driver Jason Hughes and owner Buntainwood Farm of Brackley Beach. The three-year-old son of Northern Bailey will put his two-race-win streak on the line against Southfield Shadow (Terry Gallant) and Dunmore Chance (Panting).
The two-year-old filly pacers will line up for Race 7, a $22,000 ABC final, and it promises to be a hard-fought battle, as the division has been trading blows all season. Jann Down is the morning line favourite from Post 3 for driver Gilles Barrieau, trainer Stephen Mason and owner Downey Stables of Quispamsis, N.B. She will face other divisional leaders Three Pink Bows (Walter Cheverie), Dusty Lane Bria (Arsenault) and Woodmere Dancenart (Clare MacDonald).
Race 9 is the Atlantic Breeders Crown two-year-old pacing colt final, and Barrieau has the favourite again, this time off the rail. The New Brunswick reinsman will guide Dixieland Band from Post 1 for trainer Kevin MacLean and owners Aaron MacKenzie of Winsloe, and Reg MacPherson and David MacKenzie, both of Stratford. His top competition will come from Proven Desire (Marc Campbell) and Camco Titan (Arsenault).
The most interesting division has unquestionably been the three-year-old filly pacers, and they will put $22,000 on the line in Race 11, as Elm Grove Inarush will attempt to accomplish what just slipped out of her grasp in her two-year-old season: being crowned Atlantic Sires Stakes champion. Saulsbrook Alana defeated her that October day in 2013, but the tables have turned, as Elm Grove Inarush has Post 4 and is riding a three-race win streak for driver Mark Bradley and Kensington connections of trainer and co-owner Eddy Doucette, Grant Mann, Blaine Thibeau and Gordon MacLeod. She will face some tough company with Saulsbrook Alana (Campbell) from Post 7, Pictonian Sareta (Stevenson) from Post 8 and Fleurje (Hughes), riding a five-race win streak, from Post 6.
The final ABC final of the day will see three-year-old pacing colts vie for top honours and a $22,000 purse in Race 13. The draw was kind to Rancousy as he has rail control and a four-race win streak on the line for trainer-driver Darren Crowe and owner Donald Charles Smith of Brookside, N.S. The three-year-old son of Western Paradise will battle seven rivals, including Mr Vaive (Bernard McCallum) and Just A Professor (MacDonald).
The top pacing mares will go head-to-head in Race 12, the Open Mares Invitational, while the best free-for-allers on the east coast, including D Gs Camme and All Turain, will compete for $5,000 in the Race 14 finale.
To view the harness racing entries for Saturday and Sunday at the Charlottetown Driving Park, please click the corresponding links which appear below.
(Red Shores)