Officials from Red Shores have sent out the organization’s preview for the weekend of live harness racing at the Charlottetown Driving Park and Summerside Raceway.
All Turain will take centre stage in an all-star feature event Saturday at the CDP. The horses will be called to the gate for the first race at 6 p.m.
“He’s back!” boomed track announcer Vance Cameron, referring to All Turain when he toured the city track last week in an impressive 1:57 in his first start of 2014. Brodie MacPhee did the driving. It wasn’t an easy journey, as the pacer got roughed up early through a 28-second opening quarter before MacPhee could rate the superstar and get him home by holding off a fast-closing Perfect Escape, who is a new purchase from longtime owners Jack Keenan, Stratford and Joseph Dahl of Burlington, Ont. These two will meet again, but the set is different, with Perfect Escape having drawn the inside Post 3, while All Turain, owned by Lee and Trevor Hicken, will have to draft a plan from the outside Post 8. The Race 12 field, which will compete for a purse of $2,400, will be filled out by Sterling Seelster (PP1), Tempo Seelster (PP2), Perfect Escape (PP3), Machinthesand (PP4), Judge Jon (PP5), Touch of Lightning (PP6), R Sonoflife (PP7) and All Turain (PP8).
The best trotters on the east coast of Canada will perform in Race 5. Last week’s winner Caliban Hanover (to be driven by Corey MacPherson) and Abundaspin (Harold Shepherd) will hook up in the $1,550 class. They were separated by a nose last week in a win photo finish at Summerside, so watch for another close battle.
Two horses on the card will try to extend their two race winning streaks. Camcun will start from Post 4 in the seven-horse Race 7 for Kenny Arsenault, while Onehotvett, who claimed Sunday’s feature at Summerside, will come in and try to knock off morning line favourites Dianna Santanna and Cambest Kisser in Race 9.
To view the harness racing entries for Saturday at the CDP, click the following link: Saturday Entries – Charlottetown Driving Park.
The stars will be out in full force, as the three-year-old fillies and colts will compete in divisions of the Ruby Chappell and Bob Dewar memorial stakes Sunday at Red Shores’ Summerside. First-race post time for the 12-dash card is 1 p.m.
The award winning Saulsbrook Alana will make her 2014 debut in Ruby Chappell memorial in Race 11, which carries a purse of $6,200. Marc Campbell qualified the daughter of Western Paradise over the CDP in 1:57.2 for owner Reg MacPherson and trainer Kevin MacLean. Campbell is required to drive his own trainee, Kellys Cross, in the race, so Gilles Barrieau has gotten the call to handle the filly that earned $61,473 from 13 starts in 2013 – that included nine wins and a lifetime mark of 1:55.1 taken at Summerside.
The morning line favorites have been established in the other Chappell stakes, and they include Sea Anna Win, owned by Tim Banks of Charlottetown, Dusty Lane Dora from the Elton Millar stable, and Elm Grove Inarush, who is trained by Eddy Doucette.
The three-year-old colts will appear in four divisions of the Bob Dewar memorial beginning in Race 4 where trainer Tom Weatherbie will send out Island Gigolo for owner James Pound of Hunter River. The colt put in a solid campaign last year with three wins from 10 starts. He can expect pressure from rail-sitter Waterside Light and Just a Professor.
It’s the most anticipated card of the season and it all takes place Sunday at 1 p.m. at Summerside.
To view the harness racing entries for Sunday at Summerside, click the following link: Sunday Entries – Summerside Raceway.
(With files from Red Shores)