Woodmere Stealdeal has been unstoppable all season and he will look to put another notch in his belt Saturday afternoon (Sept. 12) on the first half of a special P.E.I. Colt Stakes doubleheader at Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park.
The afternoon card has 12 dashes on tap with a special 12:30 p.m. first race post time. Woodmere Stealdeal is heavily favoured in his P.E.I. Colt Stakes split for two-year-old pacing colts, carrying a $7,500 purse in the eighth race. The two-year-old son of Steelhead Hanover has tasted nothing but perfection so far this season, winning all seven of his starts and banking $32,463 for trainer Danny Romo and owners Kevin Dorey of Middle Sackville and Robert Sumarah of Halifax, N.S. A product of Woodmere Farms in Marshfield, P.E.I., Woodmere Stealdeal has set four tracks records so far in his career. Clare MacDonald will get the catch-driving call this week, as regular pilot Marc Campbell is committed to his own trainee, Woodmere Beachline.
The other $7,500 P.E.I. Colt Stakes splits for rookie colts line up in Races 2, 5 and 11.
A pair of the top two-year-old fillies on the East Coast will tangle in the opening dash of the day in a $7,000 P.E.I. Colt Stakes split. Rookie pacer JJ Talisa has been exceptional all season, never missing the top three from seven outings. The daughter of first-crop sire Hilarious Halo hails from Jamie MacKinley’s Double J Farms of Cornwall. Robert and Maria MacLeod of South West Margaree, N.S., own the three-time winner and entrust the driving to Redmond Doucet from post four. Her main competition will be the lightly-raced Aspoonfulofsugar, who has seen the winner’s circle three times in her career from just four starts. The Joe Baxter trainee will have Dale Spence sit in the driver's seat from post six.
The rookie fillies will also line up in $7,000 P.E.I. Colt Stakes divisions in Races 4, 7 and 10.
The final dash of the afternoon will see the richest Maritime-bred of all-time return to the Eastern Seaboard as The Rev joins the Gilles Barrieau stable and will compete in the afternoon's $3,000 Preferred 2 Pace. The 10-year-old son of Western Paradise boasts 39 lifetime wins and a record $611,032 in prize money for owner Jeffrey Skinner of Hammonds Plains, N.S.
Gold Cup And Saucer Reunion In Saturday Night Feature
Time To Dance’s road to four straight victories will not be easy from the far outside against an outstanding group of pacers in the $3,200 Preferred Pace on the second half of a Saturday doubleheader.
The evening portion of P.E.I. Colt Stakes Saturday has a 14-dash card set for a special 6:30 P.M. start time with the preferred pacers lining up in Race 13. The Guardian Gold Cup & Saucer champion Time To Dance rides a three-race win streak into the event for trainer-driver Marc Campbell and owners Brent Campbell of Charlottetown and Matt McDonald of Edwards, Ont. His Saturday competition will be fierce as Gold Cup & Saucer consolation winner Avatar J has the inside with Brodie MacPhee at the lines and the Gilles Barrieau-trained and driven Rose Run Quest has post two. Also in the field are Gold Cup & Saucer finalists Woodmere Ideal Art (David Dowling), Screen Test (Corey MacPherson), Simple Kinda Man (Jason Hughes) and Lisburn (Kenny Arsenault).
The card also features eight divisions of the P.E.I Colt Stakes for three-year-old pacers.
Divisional leader Woodmere Skyroller is the favourite in her $8,400 P.E.I. Colt Stakes three-year-old pacing filly split, carded as the seventh race. MacPhee will drive the Atlantic Sires Stakes champion for owner Reg MacPherson of Stratford and trainer Kevin MacLean. Red Dirt Star has rail control in the class for trainer-driver Barrieau after drawing clear of Woodmere Skyroller in all but one start this season. A winner of five races and $32,097 in her own right, Red Dirt Star was raised by Lowell Balderston of North Wiltshire.
The fillies also line up in P.E.I. Colt Stakes action in Races 1, 4 and 10.
Freshly minted Truro Raceway three-year-old pacing colt track record holder Mr Kelly has rail control in an $8,400 sophomore colt split in the fifth race. Adam Merner drives the Ron Gass trainee for owners Marsha Knox and Wade and Kyla MacDonald of Stanhope. The Rollwithitharry pacer set a new standard for three-year-olds of 1:54.1 last week at the Bible Hill, N.S., oval in the MacKenzie Memorial stake.
The other P.E.I. Colt Stakes three-year-old colt divisions are in Races 2, 8 and 11.
Races 6 and 9 on the program feature $3,620 Atlantic Aged Pacing Mares divisions sponsored by Standardbred Canada.
Go to Redshores.ca for race programs and more and wager online at HPIBet.com. To view the entries for Saturday's cards, click the following link: Saturday Entries - Charlottetown Driving Park.
(Red Shores)