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Sunday August 6, 2017

Summerside, PE – Due to heavy rain and unsafe track conditions, the harness racing program scheduled for 1pm at Red Shores Summerside is cancelled.

By Lee Drake

CHARLOTTETOWN, PE – Do Over Hanover was in a league of his own in the Saturday evening preferred pace at Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park.

Mike McGuigan was in the bike for the fastest win of his career as Do Over Hanover controlled the front end at every call through fractions of 27.2, 55.1 and 1:24.1 en route to a 1:53.1 victory by six open lengths in the $2,400 preferred pace. Adkins Hanover (Kenny Arsenault) released Do Over Hanover to the lead past the quarter to sit second and finish second with Elm Grove Kaboom (Earl Smith) completing the healthy $218.20 triactor with race favourite Crombie A finishing seventh.

It was the sixth win in a row for Do Over Hanover with Chris MacKay training the four-year-old son of Western Ideal for owners Red Isle Racing of North Granville, Steven MacRae of Vernon Bridge and Allard Racing Inc., of Saint-Esprit, Que.

Dixie Lullaby found redemption on her native red soil in the $2,250 Open Mares pace with a 1:57.4 victory with Walter Cheverie in the bike for co-owner and trainer Kyle Fellows of Rockwood, Ont., and co-owner Carl Stafford of Conception Bay South, N.L. Good Luck Kathy (Jason Hughes) was second with Prettyndangerous (Adam Merner) third.

Ken Murphy and Adam Merner both had driving triples on the card with Gilles Barrieau and Kenny Arsenault winning two races in the bike and trainer Ron Gass scoring a pair of victories.

By Nicholas Oakes

Summerside, PE – HP Bushido Dragjet, under the command of trainer Marc Campbell, captured the Wednesday night feature at Red Shores Summerside in 1:56.1. The newcomer picked up his second victory of the season for owners Michael Folkins, John Davidson and Keith Camick, NB. Pictonian Storm (Gary Chappell) was second with Machinthesand (Ken Murphy) completing the triactor.

Campbell also posted winners aboard Bet R All and Rash Behavior for the hat-trick.

Western Sexy won the Clifford Wedge memorial for driver Adam Merner, trainer Phil Sizer and owner Jason Sherry, Kensington, PE. The time of the mile was 1:59.3

Merner, Ken Murphy and Jason Hughes recorded driving doubles on the program.

The last card at Summerside before Old Home Week begins is Sunday August 6^th. Post time is 1pm.

By Lee Drake

CHARLOTTETOWN, PE – Picking a name out of a hat may be as accurate as trying to predict the winner in Thursday evening’s tightly knit featured event at Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park.

First race post time is 6:30 P.M. for the 12-dash program with Likely To Win the morning line choice from post 5 in the $2,000 race. Adam Merner trains and drives the 34-time-winner for owners Blenise Young and Lester Campbell of Nova Scotia and Jeffrey Campbell of Alberta. The seven-year-old son of Western Terror was victorious in his latest outing winning in 1:57.1. Narragansett has been part of the action in virtually every one of his 2017 starts but gets post 6 in the field of half-a-dozen with Jason Hughes in the bike.

Race analyst Les MacIsaac doesn’t see the post as a major detriment to Narragansett’s chances of landing on top.

“Narragansett is always a threat with that dangerous late burst, especially in a compact field with not as much traffic,” MacIsaac said. “If he can get some live flow and a cover trip to bring him into it late his chances go way up.”

Other entries in the race include Give Em Heck (Colin Sheppard), The Big Bite (Kenny Arsenault), Instant Shadow (Gilles Barrieau) and Denver Dolly (Marc Campbell).

Campbell continues to lead the dash race at the capital oval by a healthy margin with 65 wins so far this season compared to Hughes in second place with 32 wins. The former O’Brien award winning driver has a chance to add to his total in Thursday’s race 3 Open trot event as he drives Freddie for the Three Wisemen Stable of Kingston fresh off a 1:58.3 victory in his latest. His arch-rival, Osprey Impact, leaves from post 6 with Walter Cheverie in the bike while he has post 7 in the $1,850 event.

At least one win streak will end in race 9 on the card with Nikes Cowgirl (Campbell) riding a three-race win streak into post 2 while Julep Hanover and owner-trainer-driver Wade Myers has post 3 fresh off a pair of victories in 1:57 and change.

By Nicholas Oakes

Charlottetown, PE – Red Shores and the PEI Harness Racing Industry Association has announced a change to the Old Home Week race schedule.

There will be no live harness racing program on Thursday afternoon August 17, 2017. The Atlantic Sires Stakes for two year-old pacing fillies will move to  the Thursday evening program. Post time is 7pm.

For a complete list of race dates and post times for Old Home Week leading up the World Driving Championship and the Sobeys Gold Cup & Saucer go to our race dates page.

By Lee Drake

SUMMERSIDE, PE – A pair of front enders and a dead closer have their paths collide in the Wednesday evening top class at Red Shores at the Summerside Raceway.

The special Wednesday evening card has the first of 13-dashes getting underway at 7 P.M. with the top pacers lining up in race 12.

Pictonian Storm is the morning line choice in the $2,100 race with Gary Chappell in the bike for trainer Austin Sorrie and owner Walter Simmons of Summerside. The six-year-old son of Western Paradise has been solid all season with a tendency to do his best racing late in the mile and gets post 5 to work with this week.

Keep Coming has post 2 in the top class after proving he likes it on front since relocating to the East Coast. Myles Heffernan drives the four-year-old son of Mystery Chase for trainer Brian Andrew, who co-owns with William Andrew of Calgary, Alta.

Keep Coming has the right post to see a path to the front but Minor Wisdom will complicate matters as the Kristina McCourt trainee gets Jason Hughes in the bike and shows a string of 27 second quarters with her cutting the mile.

Race analyst Bo Ford leans towards closing tactics from Pictonian Storm as the way to the winner’s circle.

“Pictonian Storm is on a different level than he has been in recent memory, after a lifetime best two back he followed suit with a crush victory the next time out,” Ford said. “We can’t dare go against him on recent form.”

Other entries in the Wednesday evening top event include Painted Desert (Adam Merner), Machinthesand (Ken Murphy) and H P Bushido Dragjet (Marc Campbell).

Race 7 on the program is the Clifford Wedge Memorial pace for a $1,200 pot. Western Sexy is the morning line choice from post 4 with Adam Merner driving for trainer Phil Sizer and owner Jason Sherry of Kensington.

The race 13 finale will see Southfield Spirit try to protect her two-race win streak with Merner in the bike for trainer Frank Banks while Ultimatelyhandsome is the favourite fresh off a 1:57 victory in Charlottetown with Hughes in the bike for the Ultimate Stable of Greater Lakeburn, N.B.

By Nicholas Oakes

SUMMERSIDE, PE – It was mega stakes Sunday at Red Shores at the Summerside Raceway and a number of win streaks were reduced to rubble on the afternoon card.

The 15-dash card had a stakes event in every race and the win streaks starting falling in the first event of the day. The Callbeck Memorial Stakes for two-year-old trotters was part of the card and race 1 had Ticked (Myles Heffernan) make a break and miss the winner’s circle for the first time in his young career. That $4.700 division was captured by Windemeredonyuworry for so-owner, trainer and driver Terry Gallant with Eric Johnston of Summerside sharing ownership of the two-year-old son of Armbro Barrister.

A Pure Heart was a winner in 2:05.3 in his $4,700 split for trainer-driver Danny MacDonald and owners Boyd Macdonald Produce Lltd of Crapaud, Dan Ross of Belfast and Brian Andrew of Milton Station.

Oceanview Eunomia scored a maiden breaking victory in 2:07 for driver Walter Cheverie, and owner-trainer William Roloson of Belfast. Buckaroo (Campbell) tasted defeat for the first time in his career finishing second in that race.

Sock It Away maintained his undefeated season winning his $5,400 division of the Callbeck Memorial stake for two-year-old pacing colts in 1:58.2 with Gilles Barrieau in the bike for trainer Kevin MacLean and owner Reg MacPherson of Stratford. The son of Pang Shui defeated second place Oceanview Magnum (Marc Campbell) for that colt’s first career loss.

Half Cut won the fastest division in 1:57.4 with Mark Bradley in the bike behind the two-year-old son of Stonebridge Terror for trainer Tom Weatherbie and owners Kyle Gardiner and Michael Currie of Cardigan, Joseph Gardiner of Mount Stewart and Jerry Mackinnon of St. Peter’s Bay.

The other $5,400 divisions were won by Big Talking Man (Ken Murphy) in 1:58.3, Tobins Optimism (Barrieau) in 2:00 and Dustylansam (Gordie Hennessey) in a 2:01 victory.

The Callbeck Stake for two-year-old pacing fillies had four divisions with R Es Shabla delivering as the heavy favourite in her division in 1:59.2 for trainer-driver Mike McGuigan and owner Lloyd Parsons of Carmanville, N.L.

Scarlet Desire was a 1:59.2 winner in her split for trainer-driver Campbell while the other divisions were claimed by Windemereimalright (Clare MacDonald) in 2:01.1 and Private Di (Kenny Arsenault) in 2:00.3.

In the $4,600 splits of the Maple Leaf Trot for three-year-olds, Miss Meala Ridge won her division for trainer-driver Clare MacDonald and owner Gerard Moulins of Summerside, while snapping Windemerepartyman’s (Jack Panting) win streak at two.

Pappy Go Go continued his undefeated season in his Maple Leaf trot division winning in 2:02.2 for trainer-driver Campbell and owner Grayland Farm of Pugwash, N.S. Majian Tango claimed the other division in 2:01.4 for trainer-driver Jim Ripley and owner Marylea Ripley of Amherst.

Live racing at Red Shores Summerside continues Wednesday evening at 7 P.M. with a 13-race card on the books.

By Nicholas Oakes

 

SUMMERSIDE, PE – The first leg of the Island Breeder’s Series dominates the Sunday afternoon program at Red Shores at the Summerside Raceway with stakes events in every race of the 15-dash card.

The action gets underway at 1 P.M. with Ticked flaunted his undefeated record in the race 1 Callbeck Stakes division for two-year-old trotters. Myles Heffernan drives and co-owns the son of Armbro Barrister with Jackie Heffernan of Summerville. The Gerald MacDougall trainee has won both his 2017 starts and faces off with five rivals in the $4,700 division.

The other $4,700 Callbeck two-year-old trot divisions line up in races 5 and 9 with the entries looking for points for the end of season Island Breeder’s Finals.

The Callbeck Memorial stakes for two-year-old pacing fillies hit the track in races 2, 6, 10, and 13 with a $6,000 purse at play in each division. Some of the top fillies so far this season face off in race 10 with Scarlet Desire drawing post 2 for trainer-driver Marc Campbell and owner Gordon MacLean of Winsloe. The two-year-old daughter of Western Paradise was a winner in 2:00 in her latest race in stakes action in Truro. The second place finisher that day has rail control this week with a new trainer and a new co-owner. Maybeitsmaybelline has post 1 with Mark Bradley in the bike for new trainer Tom Weatherbie and owner Cheryl Geldart Greer of Norton, N.B., and new co-owner Blair Hansen of Charlottetown. The daughter of Westwardho Hanover has yet to miss the top three in four season starts.

The two-year-old pacing colts line up behind the gate in races 4, 8, 12, 14 and 15 in Callbeck Memorial Stakes action for a $5,400 purse.

A pair of undefeated streaks collide in the afternoon finale with Campbell electing off Summerside track record holder Sock It Away in favour of post 2 starter Oceanview Magnum, who have both won a pair of seasonal starts. Oceanview Magnum was a 1:58.3 winner in his latest for trainer Earl Watts and Island owners Harris Johnston, Roger Burns, John Howatt and Quebec resident Claude Poirier. Gilles Barrieau picks up the mount on 1:56 Summerside two-year-old pacing track record holder Sock It Away from post 6 for trainer Kevin MacLean and owners Reg MacPherson of Stratford.

The Maple Leaf Trot for three-year-old trotters hit the track in races 3, 7 and 11 with a $4,600 purse in each. The newly minted co-owner of the Truro Raceway three-year-old trotting track record is in race 3 with the outside in the field of 6. Pappy Go Go was a 1:59.4 winner in his latest with Campbell training and driving for owner-Grayland Farm of Pugwash. The son of Tad The Stud has been nothing short of phenomenal this season as he is undefeated in three races and gets last year’s Maritime Breeder’s champion Wicked Nick as he chief opponent from post 1 with Gary Chappell at the lines.

By Nicholas Oakes for Red Shores