Euchred has clearly stamped himself as the best horse in Atlantic Canada so far in 2018 but has four rivals looking to knock him off that podium in the feature event Saturday evening at Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park.
First race post time is 6:00 p.m. for the 11-dash card with the preferred pace hitting the track in race 10 for a $2,650 purse. Euchred has won four out of five preferred events at this early point in the season and is assigned with the outside post Saturday night in the field of five horses. Adam Merner is back in the bike this week for trainer Terry Gallant and owner Kayla Habicht Walker of Inverness, N.S., while riding a three-race win streak.
Czar Seelster has been the only horse to beat him so far this season and retains the services of driver Kenny Arsenault for trainer Todd Weatherbee from post 3, while Rose Run Quest makes his second start of the season from post 4 after a dominant end to the 2017 season in this same class.
Race analyst Les MacIsaac gives the nod to Euchred to hit the winner’s circle again this week.
“Euchred was assigned the outside post but that's the price you pay when you've been almost unbeatable,” MacIsaac said. “He's sitting on three in a row and until he's dethroned we'll have to stay on his bandwagon.”
The preferred pace field is rounded out by Tobinator (Corey MacPherson) from post 1 and Mr Irresistible (Jason Hughes) from post 2.
The Preferred 2 pace serves as the back-up class on the Saturday program with five entrants putting their noses on the gate in race 7. Winter Blast drops out of the top preferred event this week and gets the honour of morning line favourite from post 3 for the team of driver Hughes, conditioner Jennifer Doyle and owner Danny Birt. The grey pacer has yet to finish worse than fourth in the 2018 summer meet but has some top-notch competition despite the drop in class. Ashes To Ashes was a winner in 1:56.1 in his latest outing for driver Gilles Barrieau and trainer Jackie Matheson and gets post 5 in the preferred 2 event. Likely To Win rides a two-race win streak into the race for Merner with post 2 to start.
To view the entries for Saturday's card, click the following link: Saturday Entries - Charlottetown Driving Park.
(with files from Red Shores)