Being the runner-up in one the biggest races of Old Home Week gives Big Surf a lot of clout as he faces off with the Saturday Night feature at Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park.
First race post time is 6 p.m. for the 12-dash card with Big Surf installed as the morning line favourite from post 4 in the $2,400 Preferred pace. Corey MacPherson will drive the five-year-old son of Somebeachsomewhere fresh off a second-place finish in the $30,000 James ‘Roach’ MacGregor Gold Cup and Saucer consolation on Aug. 19, during Old Home Week racing. Trevor Hicken trains Big Surf for owners Robin Burke of Ten Mile House, Luke Burke of Pleasant Grove and Perry Burke of Quebec.
The evening’s top event features a cooler presentation by McWade Racing and has some competition for Big Surf with Clic K drawing post 5 with Gilles Barrieau in the bike off a pair of 1:54 and change victories. A potential sleep in the field is post 6 starter Smiley Bayama with Adam Merner at the lines. The Aces Up stallion was a strong second to Gold Cup and Saucer finalist D Gs Camme in last week’s Invitational at Northside Downs in Nova Scotia.
Race analyst Les MacIsaac is expecting Big Surf to be the class of the field Saturday night.
“All you have to do is look at those two lines from Old Home Week,” MacIsaac said of Big Surf. “Anything remotely close to those tonight could make this a race for place.”
Other entries include First Art Down (Ken Murphy), Rash B Havior (Marc Campbell), Jeb (Jason Hughes) and Nogreatmischief (Gary Chappell).
Drivingthedragon N has been installed as the morning line choice in the race 9 Open Mares pace for a $2,350 pot with Hughes training and driving for owner Donald MacRae of Vernon Bridge. The seven-year-old daughter of Sutter Hanover was racing in New York earlier in the year and just made her first start off the bench as a third-place finisher to Ramblinglily in this same class.
With Ramblinglily racing in New Brunswick this week, Hughes will have the respect of the field as she faces off with six rivals including Brodys Leona (MacPherson), Sendmeasign (Kenny Arsenault) and Someone Like You (Chappell).
(CDP)
To view entries for Saturday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Saturday Entries – Charlottetown Driving Park.