Officials with Red Shores have sent out preview notices regarding its weekend programs of racing at the Charlottetown Driving Park and Summerside Raceway.
Saulsbrook Alana Seeks To Repeat Winning Ways
The final stakes events of the 2013 Maritime racing season will take centre stage Saturday afternoon at Red Shores’ Charlottetown Driving Park.
The Island Breeders finals will line up for Races 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 on the 14-dash card which carries a 1:00 p.m. first-race post time.
Race 2 has the two-year-old trotters competing for a purse of $7,500 and Phantom Beau is stamped as the one to beat off the rail for driver Kenny Arsenault, trainer John Pineau and owner Peter Breau of Moncton. The son of Bo W has won his last three stakes engagements and will face threats from Dusty Lane Galaxy (to be driven by Gary Chappell) and stablemate Saulsbrook Pippa (Corey MacPherson).
Race 4 will see the three-year-old trotters race for $7,500 with Taliesin looking for redemption after the unthinkable happened, twice, in an otherwise perfect season. Marc Campbell trains and drives the colt for owner Buntainwood Farm of Brackley Beach. Taliesin made breaks in his last two starts to end his seven race undefeated streak and will have to be on his game to turn back challenges from Atlantic Breeders Crown champion Oceanview Kate (Mike Stevenson) and Maritime Breeders winner Rash Statement (driver to be announced).
Race 6 features the two-year-old pacing fillies with a $13,000 purse. Only six horses declared into the final, with the dominant Saulsbrook Alana drawing Post 4 with her eight-race win streak on the line. Campbell will drive the filly for trainer Kevin MacLean and owner Reginald MacPherson of Stratford. Her main competition comes from Sail Through (Gilles Barrieau) and Elm Grove Inarush (Mark Bradley).
Race 8 has a purse of $13,000 and eight two-year-old colt pacers competing for it. Dumas Walker is shouldered with Post 7 while riding his three-race win streak for trainer-driver-co-owner Myles Heffernan and co-owner Joseph Poirier, both of Nova Scotia. Ontario-sired Waterside Light (Hilliard Graves) has the opportunity to play spoiler, showing a pair of miles in 1:57 and change, but is stuck with Post 8.
The three-year-old pacing fillies will butt heads in Race 10 and with top pacing filly Ramblinglily absent it could be anybody’s race. Favourites include Top Brand (Danny Romo), Windemere Maggie (Brodie MacPhee), Western Judy (Campbell) and Dianna Santanna (John Holmes).
The last $13,000 Island Breeders final will line up in Race 12 with the three-year-old colt pacers. The Rev is the favourite from Post 5 for trainer-driver Romo and owners Robert and Jeffrey Skinner, Stephen Tufts and Glb Stable of Nova Scotia.
The finalists for the Island Breeders series are the top-eight money earners in the two preliminary legs held in Summerside and Charlottetown during the summer.
The program will also feature the official cheque presentations in the second annual Drive for Charity promotion. Island harness drivers teamed up local businesses to raise money for charities across PEI.
To view the harness racing entries for Saturday at the CDP, click the following link: Saturday Entries – Charlottetown Driving Park.
Feature Events Close Out Red Shores Summerside Season
The final card of the 2013 season at Red Shores’ Summerside Raceway will head to post at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday. The program will feature a total of 14 dashes.
The $2,000 Remembrance Day Pace will line up for Race 13 and Leading Camdidate is the morning-line choice for driver Jason Hughes, trainer Stephen Quinn and owner Donald MacRae of Vernon Bridge. Quinn will try to find two wins on the card to boost his 12-race win total and catch Summerside Raceway’s leading conditioner Darren Trainor, with 14 victories. Marc Campbell has the 2013 Summerside driving title wrapped up with 40 wins this season, well ahead of Hughes and Barrieau, each with 29.
Joining Leading Camdidate in the feature pace will be Doll R General (Mark McKinnon), Every Day (Brian Andrew), Blu Meadow Willie (MacPhee), Scootin For Joy (Stevenson), Lucky Encounter (Norris Rogers) and Blue Star Outlaw (Arsenault).
Race 5 has the $1,800 Open trot with a field of nine horses. Abundaspin is favored from the trailing Post 9 for trainer-driver Harold Shepherd and owner Mikaela Lustic of Warren Grove. Zip The Lip (Brian MacPhee) made a break his last start but will look for redemption after defeating Abundaspin in his two prior tries. Other entries are Saulsbrook Balance (Willie Murphy), Caliban Hanover (Ron Gass), Who Took That (Mike McGuigan), Sandhill Angel (Arsenault), Diamond Mine (Brodie MacPhee), Lyrical Lindy (MacPherson) and Majian Dilion (Jim Ripley).
The card will also have a pair of memorial races. Race 7 has Duchess Killean (Mike McGuigan) favoured in the Garth Schurman Memorial Pace for the late Summerside horseman. A memorial horseshoe and moment of silence will be held for Schurman after the completion of race 6 on the card.
The starter will also call the horses for the Henry Doucette Memorial in Race 9 and the Smart Barney Retirement Pace in the 11th.
To view the harness racing entries for Sunday at Summerside, click the following link: Sunday Entries – Summerside Raceway.
(With files from Red Shores)