Officials at Red Shores have sent out a preview of this weekend’s cards of live racing at the Charlottetown Driving Park.
Region’s Best Drivers Battle In Driver’s Tournament
The annual E.F. Acorn Memorial drivers’ championship headlines the Saturday afternoon card of racing at Red Shores’ Charlottetown Driving Park.
First-race post time is 1:00 p.m. for the 13-dash card.
The event is sponsored by the P.E.I. Standardbred Horse Owner’s Association, and will feature nine drivers competing over eight exciting races for the top spot. The event features top dash-winning drivers Marc Campbell, Jason Hughes, Brodie MacPhee, Kenny Arsenault and Gilles Barrieau along with top percentage drivers with over 75 drives Terry Gallant and Ron Matheson and top percentage drivers with 40-75 drives Harold Shepherd and Willie Murphy. Statistics to determine the participants are based on starts solely in Charlottetown. The competition takes place in Races 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10 and 11.
Race 12 has the feature pace with nine entries going to the gate for a purse of $1,750. Roscoes Child is favoured to win for driver Brodie MacPhee, trainer Raymond White and owner Selkirk Stable of Belfast. His main completion will come from Post 3 entry Pinner (Campbell) and Tempo Seelster (Vincent Poulton) from the trailing Post 9. Other entries include Van Zant (Matheson), Blue Star Outlaw (Hughes), Veronicavermillion (Brian MacPhee), Stayoutofmyaffair (Gary Chappell), Sterling Seelster (Corey MacPherson) and Camcun (Arsenault).
The afternoon trot class will line up for Race 4 with Diamond Mine as the morning-line favourite for driver Willie Murphy, co-owner and trainer Cindy MacDonald of Montague and co-owner Tanya MacKinnon of Souris. Other top entries include Wonderous Hanover (Brian Andrew) and Who Took That (Mike McGuigan).
To view the harness racing entries for Saturday at the CDP, click the following link: Saturday Entries – Charlottetown Driving Park.
Top Class Pacer And Trotters Headline Sunday Afternoon Card
The top trotters on Canada’s eastern seaboard will duke it out in Race 4 on Sunday afternoon in Charlottetown with a 1:00 p.m. first-race post time for the 13-dash affair.
Zip The Lip has crowned himself the top trotter in the east recently with victories in four of the last five Open Trots held. Brian MacPhee drives the son of Ken Warkentin for co-owner and trainer Don Sweet and co-owner Orville Willis, both of O’Leary. He will have to contend with Post 6 in the seven-horse race, as well as fight back challenges from the Shepherd family with Abundaspin (Harold Shepherd) from Post 3 and newcomer Tender N Kind (Steven Shepherd) with Post 5. Tender N Kind has been racing a $6,000 claimer at Bangor Raceway in Maine.
The Preferred Pace will line up in Race 12 and Machinthesand will look for a repeat of his 1:55.1 victory last week with Brodie MacPhee in the bike for trainer Mark Bradley and owners Noonan Holdings Ltd and Karen Noonan of Middleton. The son of Mach Three has to battle three Jason Hughes-trained horses in the seven-entry field with Cambest Kisser (Hughes), Bunny Mach (Chappell) and Narragansett (Arsenault). Also in the field is Lucky Encounter (Walter Cheverie), Doll R General (Mark McKinnon) and Blu Meadow Willie (Robert MacInnis).
To view the harness racing entries for Sunday at the CDP, click the following link: Sunday Entries – Charlottetown Driving Park.