The East Coast has been nothing but kind to Doctor Royal and the pacer will look to keep his streak alive Saturday evening at Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park.
The Dawn Ellis Abbott trainee rides a three-race win streak into the featured pace on the nine-dash Saturday program at the capital oval. First race post time is 6:00 p.m. with the Preferred pace slotted as race eight.
Gilles Barrieau is back at the lines of Doctor Royal after teaming up to win the first two featured events of the season on P.E.I., combined with a top class win at the horse’s home turf of Truro Raceway to give him three straight wins. Mick Dundee was closing the gap in last week’s featured event and will get rail control for Saturday’s $2,900 contest for trainer-driver Don MacNeill. Euchred was a force to be reckoned with in 2018 on the Invitational circuit and comes into the Saturday feature fresh off a 1:58.1 victory for new trainer-driver David Dowling.
Race analyst Les MacIsaac will side with Doctor Royal getting to the wire first.
“Doctor Royal has been assigned the outside post but that's the consequences of a three race win streak,” MacIsaac said. “Until he shows he's vulnerable the road to the winner's circle goes through him.”
Also in the field is Revenant (Adam Merner) and Adkins Hanover (Corey MacPherson).
Sodwana Bay was nothing short of superb in 2018 and will make her seasonal debut in the $2,800 Fillies and Mares Open Pace one race later. The Barrieau-trained and -driven pacer is fresh off a 2:00.3 qualifier at her winter base of Exhibition Park Raceway in New Brunswick for owners Wayne MacRae of Fall River, N.S., and Howmac Farms Ltd., of North Wilshire. Other top entries include Innocent Kiss (Merner) and Prettyndangerous (Dowling).
For promotional information, race programs and more visit Redshores.ca. To view the entries for Saturday's card of harness racing in Charlottetown, click the following link: Saturday Entries – Charlottetown Driving Park.
(Red Shores)