Sock It Away has been brushing aside most of his aged competition but gets a fresh foe in the preferred pace Monday night during a special New Year’s Eve harness racing presentation at Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park.
The 13-race program starts with a special 6:30 P.M. post time as Red Shores will countdown to the 2019. Sock It Away is favoured in the twelfth race feature with Marc Campbell back in the bike from post five in the $2,500 preferred pace for trainer Kevin MacLean and owner Reg MacPherson of Stratford, P.E.I.
Sock It Away will have some high-powered opposition to close out his three-year-old season as Euchred ships back to the East Coast from Ontario's harness racing circuit and draws post four for owner Kayla Habicht Walker of Inverness, N.S., driver Adam Merner and new trainer Melissa Rennie.
Race analyst Les MacIsaac sees Sock It Away as the likely horse to hit the wire first and record win number 20 of the season.
“Sock It Away has been making some high-calibre opposition look pretty ordinary since the stake season came to a conclusion winning three of four and just missing in the other one,” MacIsaac said. “It looks like the road to the winner’s circle goes through him.”
Also in the featured field is Winter Blast (Jason Hughes), Red Magician (Corey MacPherson) and Burn Out Hanover (Kenny Arsenault).
Collective Wisdom will look to deliver as the morning line favourite in the eleventh race Open Mares pace for a $2,350 purse. Rookie driver Drew Neill will again handle the five-year-old daughter of American Ideal for trainer Jackie Matheson and owner Woodmere Farms of Marshfield, P.E.I. She will face six rivals including Ramblinglily (Merner) who ships in from the mainland after recently racing the top class at Truro Raceway in Nova Scotia.
Mr Irresistible will be the favourite to close out the calendar year in the New Year’s Eve pace with Hughes at the controls for conditioner Jennifer Doyle.
Island native Ryan Desroche, who is building a catch-driving career in Ontario, is also home for the holidays and will pick up three drives on the New Year’s Eve program.
Catch all the racing action, promotional plays and casino floor excitement live or tune into the worldwide broadcast at Redshores.ca. To view entries for the New Year's Eve card, click the following link: Monday Entries - Charlottetown Driving Park.
(with files from Red Shores)