A plethora of stakes races will highlight this weekend’s programs of live racing at Red Shores’ Charlottetown Driving Park and Summerside Raceway, as the P.E.I. tracks will play host to a bevy of lucrative dashes.
Stakes Galore Sunday At Summerside
There will be a mega-stakes Sunday afternoon this weekend at Red Shores’ Summerside Raceway.
The Prince County oval will play host to 14 stakes dashes. The first race will head behind the starting gate at 1 p.m.
Race 14 will be the $15,716 final of the Atlantic Aged Mares Pacing Series, which is sponsored by Standardbred Canada.
Ramblinglily has drawn Post 2 for driver Ken Murphy and trainer Alan Jones, who co-owns with fellow New Brunswicker Normand Leger. The daughter of Articulator has been exceptional all season. She has recorded 10 wins from 18 starts, but was defeated in her last two Open Mare starts by Drivingthedragon N, who has drawn Post 8 for Sunday’s final. Jason Hughes trains and drives Drivingthedragon N for owner Donald MacRae of Vernon Bridge. Two other mares that have been factors in the Open mares ranks all year, Best Risque (to be driven by Clare MacDonald) and Shadows Mystery (Gilles Barrieau), have drawn Post 1 and 4, respectively. Other entries include Brodys Leona (Corey MacPherson), Sendmeasign (Kenny Arsenault), Alittleeastermagic (Ron Matheson) and Dustylane Msvickie (Marc Campbell).
The other 13 dashes on the Sunday afternoon program will feature the Lady Slipper stakes for three-year-old pacing fillies, the Joe O’Brien Memorial Stakes for three-year-old pacing colts and the Lady Slipper Stakes for two-and-three-year-old trotters.
The $11,300 Lady Slipper Gold races for fillies have been carded as Race 11 and 13. The $7,000 Grassroots dashes have been carded as Race 1 and 7.
Three-year-old pacing colts will compete in the $7,600 O’Brien Gold divisions, which have been programmed as Race 5, 10 and 12, while $6,200 Grassroots action has been slotted as Race 3 and 8.
The two-year-old trotters race off in $8,000 Lady Slipper divisions in races 2 and 6, with the three-year-old trotters facing off in races 4 and 9 for $7,600 purses.
To view the harness racing entries for Sunday at Summerside, click the following link: Sunday Entries – Summerside Raceway.
Rivalry Renews In Charlottetown Feature
A red hot Clic K will have to face off with the returning Big Surf in the Saturday evening feature at Red Shores’ Charlottetown Driving Park. The Saturday evening card will also feature a number of stakes events.
The 15-race card will kick off with a 6 p.m. first-race post time.
The Clic K – Big Surf matchup will take place in Race 14, and the duo will battle it out for the winner’s share of the $2,400 purse.
Clic K has drawn Post 7. Marc Campbell is scheduled to be in the bike for trainer Jackie Matheson and owners PLO Stables of Donagh. The gelding is heading into the contest after having won two consecutive Preferred paces.
Big Surf will return to Island action after having raced in Invitational events in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia over the course of the past two weeks. He will be placed back on the Lasix program and will start from post 4. Corey MacPherson will drive Big Surf for trainer Trevor Hicken and owners Robin and Luke Burke of P.E.I. and Perry Burke of Quebec. Smiley Bayama (Adam Merner) has drawn the tough Post 8 for the race. Smiley Bayama is heading into the tilt fresh off of a pair of second-place finishes in the Conroy and Chippin Invitational events on the mainland.
Other entries in the preferred pace include Machinthesand (Ken Murphy), DBS Rosco (Kenny Arsenault), OK Galahad (Jason Hughes), All Turain (Gilles Barrieau) and Nogreatmischief (Gary Chappell).
The program also features the Joe O’Brien Memorial stakes for two-year-old colt pacers and the Lady Slipper stakes for two-year-old pacing fillies.
The first of the $11,400 Lady Slipper Gold races for the fillies will line up for Race 8. Maritime record holder Woodmere Finesse will headline the group from Post 5 with Kenny Arsenault in the bike for trainer Jack Arsenault and owner Edward Maher of Nova Scotia. The other $11,400 split will go postward for Race 12 with Shesaroyal Cowgirl (Mark Bradley) and Woodmere Dreams (Barrieau) vying for supremacy in a seven horse field.
A trio of $5,400 Lady Slipper grassroots divisions will face the gate for Race 1, 3 and 5. The $9,800 Joe O’Brien gold divisions will be contested in Race 10 and 13. Nameisonthehalter has been favoured for Race 10. Corey MacPherson has picked up the catch-drive aboard Nameisonthehalter for trainer Lawrence Snow. Twomacsoneshadow (Gilles Barrieau) will battle with seasonal leader Tobinator (MacPherson) in Race 13.
A pair of $6,400 O’Brien Grassroots divisions will line up for Race 7 and 11.
To view the harness racing entries for Saturday at the CDP, click the following link: Saturday Entries – Charlottetown Driving Park.
(With files from Red Shores)