Charlottetown, PE – Grandstand seats for the 2017 Gold Cup & Saucer harness race at Red Shores at the Charlottetown Driving Park will go on sale Tuesday July 4 at 9 a.m. Atlantic Standard Time.
The price is $55 per seat (tax included) and also includes a BBQ voucher. Customers can purchase them in person at the Red Shores’ race office in Charlottetown or by phone at 902-629-6636.
The 58th edition of the Sobeys Gold Cup & Saucer will take place on Saturday August 19th, 2017.
Summerside, PE – Machinthesand, under the command of Ken Murphy, fired off the rail and went on to win the Sunday Feature at Red Shores Summerside stopping the timer in 1:57.2. The eight-year-old son of Mach Three used a 28.4 closer to turn back Eagle Jolt ( Ryan Desroche) and DBS Rosco (Walter Cheverie) for his first win of the 2017 campaign. Hugh Murphy trains the pacer for owners Noonan Holdings Ltd – Russell and Karen Noonan, Summerside, PE. The 1-6-2 triactor returned $142.10
Jason Hughes enjoyed a big day at the Prince County oval scoring a driving triple. Hughes, who has teamed up with Red Shores in the Drive for Charity promotion raising money for PEI Hospice Foundation, had top honours aboard Rising Fella for trainer Jansen Sweet, Old Buck for conditioner Alan MacDonald and Good Friday Three for trainer Wade Sorrie.
Murphy, Walter Cheverie and Norris Rogers recorded driving doubles while Jansen Sweet had two training victories on the day
A special Canada Day program will take place Saturday afternoon at Red Shores Summerside. Post time is 1pm.
By Lee Drake
June 24, 2017 (8am)
Charlottetown, PE – The Future Stars of Racing scheduled for 11am today at Red Shores Racetrack & Casino at the Charlottetown Driving have been cancelled. The event will now move to Monday at 6pm.
SUMMERSIDE, PE – Mando Fun will search for revenge on Eagle Jolt Sunday afternoon at Red Shores at the Summerside Raceway.
First race post time is 1 P.M. for the 12-dash card with Mando Fun drawing post 5 in the race 11 $2,400 feature with Dale Spence in the bike for co-ownert and trainer Paul Biggar of Tyne Valley and co-owner Donald Callbeck of Kensington. Eagle Jolt has the outside in the field of six with Ryan Desroche getting the catch driving call with regular driver and trainer Marc Campbell competing in Nova Scotia on Sunday afternoon. Eagle Jolt was victorious in last week’s Prince County feature event while snapping the two-race win streak of Mando Fun. Narragansett is sure to have a say in the outcome again this week with Jason Hughes training and driving for owner Foxyhall Racing of Wallace, N.S.
Machinthesand has rail control for Ken Murphy, while D Bs Rosco has post 2 for Walter Cheverie and Mach It Big leaves from post 4 with Brian Andrew in the bike.
The back-up pace lines up in race 10 for a $1,800 purse with Rash B Havior favoured from post 2 for driver Murphy and owner-trainer Mike Peters of Emyvale. The seven-year-old son of Lis Mara has 24 lifetime victories to his credit and faces off with the red-hot Sandinista, who has post 3 for driver Cheverie and trainer Clair Sweet, riding a three-race win streak.
Good Friday Three has rail control in race 7 after he came up short in his East Coast debut, finishing third on June 4 at Summerside, and not raced since. The time off could be just what was needed for the five-year-old son of Mach Three since he has all ready shown he has the speed to argue with any class on the Island with a 1:55 victory over Western Fair Raceway in London, Ont., earlier this year. Jason Hughes picks up the catch-driver for trainer Wade Sorrie and owner Walter Simmons of Summerside in Sunday’s $1,600 contest. George (Cheverie) and Coastocoastshark (Murphy) are among the top entries in that race.
Check out Redshores.ca for race program, live video and promotional information including the ongoing $100,000 Dash For Cash.
By Nicholas Oakes
CHARLOTTETOWN, PE – The finest pacers dotting the Eastern Seaboard of Canada will face off Saturday evening in memory of Cecil Ladner at Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park.
The 11-dash card kicks off at 6 P.M. Saturday with the $5,000 Cecil Ladner Memorial Invitational lining up in the evening finale. Ladner was a pivotal organizer and supporter of Island racing up until his death in 2005, when he was serving on the board of Harness Racing P.E.I. The lifelong horseman owned a number of top competitors including stakes winner Rouge Baron, Gold Cup And Saucer finalist Back From The Past and hard hitting overnight horses like Legend Killean, Dunachton Nukes and GOK. Saturday, the fastest standardbreds East of Quebec will put their noses on the starting gate in his honour and it is anyone’s race to win.
Mr Irresistible was a decisive winner in last Saturday’s preferred pace with a 1:55.1 victory over a sloppy track with a two-second variant with Charlottetown’s leading driver Marc Campbell in the seat. Campbell will drive the five-year-old son of Mister Big again this week and gets rail control as the favorite for trainer Jennifer Trainor and owner Danny Birt of Stratford.
Goliath Reigns has post 2 at 6-1 odds after shipping in from competition at Truro Raceway for trainer Dawn Ellis and driver Todd Trites after winning in 1:56.2 over the Nova Scotia half-mile oval on June 11.
Post 3 has Nogreatmischief with 12-1 odds for co-owner, trainer and driver Walter Cheverie of Nine Mile Creek and co-owner John Thompson of Charlottetown. The Bettor’s Delight pacer has not made a start since October but was a qualifying winner in 1:58 recently in Charlottetown.
Junebugs Baby has post 4 at 8-1 with Myles Heffernan driving for owner Jackie Heffernan of Glace Bay, N.S., after finishing second in 1:56.2 in his latest start.
Post 5 belongs to the other Nova Scotia ship-in with Bernard McCallum training and driving His Boy Elroy at 10-1 odds for owner Dan MacRae of Baddeck, N.S., with his latest effort a winning one in 1:57 over the Truro Raceway.
The richest pacer in the field is a newcomer to Charlottetown with Invictus Hanover making his second start on red soil and drawing post 6 for trainer-driver Jason Hughes and owner Foxyhall Racing of Wallace, N.S. The son of Yankee Cruiser is at 7-2 morning line odds as he looks to add to his $305,000 bankroll.
Post 7 belongs to a pacer that makes front no matter where he leaves. Adkins Hanover has Brett MacDonald making the trip from Rideau Carleton Raceway outside Ottawa to sit behind the pacer in the absence of regular pilot Corey MacPherson. Adkins Hanover has been laying down devastating fractions in recent weeks for trainer Trevor Hicken and owner Perry Burke of Grosse-Ile., QC, but hasn’t seen the winner’s circle since May 13.
The far outside post 8 goes to a six-year-old pacer that surprised the top class on June 10 with an upset victory after a two-hole ride. Give Em Heck is unlikely to get as nice a trip from the outside of the starting gate this week for driver Gilles Barrieau, trainer Jackie Matheson and owner Colin Sheppard of Spaniards Bay, N.L.
Check out redshores.ca for race programs, live video and promotional information including the ongoing $100,000 Dash For Cash.
By Nicholas Oakes for Red Shores
SUMMERSIDE, PE – It is starting to sound like a foregone conclusion but Marc Campbell cleaned up again Sunday afternoon at Red Shores at the Summerside Raceway.
The Winsloe resident had six wins Saturday night at Red Shores Charlottetown then followed suit Sunday capturing four dashes on the 13-race card including the afternoon feature and a leg of the Atlantic Aged Mares Pacing Series. The ‘King’ of Island racing sent Woodmere Articblue to the front from post 7 in her $3,870 Atlantic Aged Mares Pacing Series leg presented by Standardbred Canada with fractions of 28.2, 57.3 and 1:26.4 before kicking clear for a 13-length victory in 1:55.4. Campbell also trains the five-year-old daughter of Articulator for owners Tanya Tremblett and Stevi Jardine of Nova Scotia. Brodys Leona (Corey MacPherson) finished second with Sos Bambie (Gary Chappell) third.
The other mares division went to Ramblinglily and driver Walter Cheverie in a well rated 1:57.2 score through front end fractions of 28.1, 58.3 and 1:27.4. Allan Jones of New Brunswick trains and co-owns the seven-year-old daughter of Articulator with fellow New Brunswick resident Norman Leger. Shadows Myster (Kenny Arsenault) got up for the show prize while third place went to Best Risque (Jason Hughes).
The $2,400 afternoon feature was full of familiar tactics for Campbell and Eagle Jolt as the 10-year-old son of Village Jolt moved first over to wear down pacesetter Junebugs Baby (Myles Heffernan) and win by a half-length in 1:56.2. Junebugs Baby was second with Narragansett (Hughes) third. Eagle Jolt is owned by Wilbur and Marie MacDonald of Orwell Cove.
Campbell, who leads the Summerside driving colony with 15 wins this season, had his two other visits to the winner’s circle with Ryans Allstar, his own trainee, in 1:58.1 and with Winrlosedrnkdaboze for trainer Earl Watts in 2:00.2. Watts also had a training double with Woodmere Luckypercy (Chappell) in 2:00.2.
It was a day Devon Wallace of Alberton will never forget as he captured his first lifetime driving win aboard Im On Schedule off a pocket score of 2:01.1 at 22-1 odds for owner David Lewis of Alberton.
Corey MacPherson had a driving triple on the card winning with Scotty Mach N in 1:56.3 for trainer Trevor Hicken of Montague, Souverain in 2:00.4 for owner-trainer Phil Sizer of Kensington and Brief Interlude in 2:01.1 for owner-trainer Paul Conway of Bonshaw.
By Nicholas Oakes for Red Shores
CHARLOTTETOWN, PE – The King of Island harness racing did not disappoint on the first championship card of the 2017 season Saturday night at Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park.
Marc Campbell scored six wins on the 12-dash program including a mild upset with Filly Forty Seven in the $23,600 Ken Starratt Memorial Maritime Breeder’s final for three-year-old pacing fillies. Heavy favorite Elektra Express went to front in the rich final with Ryan Ellis at the lines behind the Marc Campbell trainee and laid down fractions of 27.4, 56.4 and 1:26.3 over the sloppy rain soaked track. Campbell showed he picked the right horse late in the mile, as he elected to steer Filly Forty Seven in the event and had her land in the winner’s circle after tipping first-over at three-quarters to overpower Elektra Express, who finished third, with Kinda Like Her (Kenny Arsenault) finishing second. Filly Forty Seven is owned by Darryl MacLean of Winsloe, Katelyn Smallwood of Stratford, Cory Carver of Montague and Tanya Tremblett of Nova Scotia.
Campbell’s other wins on the program came aboard Windemere Dancenart in 2:01.2 and Howmacs Dragonator in 2:002, both for trainer Earl Watts, while Campbell trainee Johnny Moe was a 1:59.4 winner and Sharks Play was dead-heated for win in 2:02.3 against Windsun Rebel (Vaughan Doyle).
The sixth and final Campbell victory was in the $2,400 preferred pace as he teamed up with Mr Irresistible for a 1:55.1 win over Adkins Hanover (Corey MacPherson) and Heart And Soul (Clare MacDonald). Danny Birt of Stratford owns Mr Irresistible while Jennifer Trainor does the training.
The $21,400 Doug Harkness Memorial Maritime Breeder’s Final for three-year-old pacing colts saw Campbell go down to defeat as the heavy post time favorite as Ashes To Ashes overcame post 8 to win in 1:56.1. Gilles Barrieau engineered the winning trip behind the Jackie Matheson trainee for owners Linda Somers of Cornwall, Alan Conway of Summerside and Lynn Livingstone of Kensington. Tobinator (MacPherson) was on top at the 28.1 quarter before Island Energetic and Campbell came rushing hard to set up the 57.1 half and 1:26.4 three-quarters on top before Barrieau converted second-over cover into a mad dash to the wire and a half-length victory. Island Energetic was second with Nameisonthehalter (Adam Merner) finishing third.
Barrieau was all smiles in the winner’s circle with Ashes To Ashes.
“I loved this colt the first time I drove him,” Barrieau said. “Just a real nice colt. Tonight we had the eight hole but we got towed into it pretty good.”
It was the second win on the night for Barrieau and Matheson as they visited the winner’s circle earlier on the card with Clic K in 1:58.1 while Barrieau also had a maiden breaking score with his own Word Game in 2:03.3 to give him the driving triple.
By Nicholas Oakes For Red Shores
SUMMERSIDE, PE – Red Shores at the Summerside Raceway will play host to the finest aged pacing mares in the Atlantic Canada Sunday afternoon.
First race post time is 1 P.M. for the 13-dash program with the Atlantic Aged Pacing Mares Series, presented by Standardbred Canada and Red Shores, hitting the track in races 9 and 11. The program also features the $100,000 Dash for Cash promotion for customers. Two customers will be selected to go for the cash. Complete details on the promotions page.
Race 9 has Ramblinglily as the morning line favorite from post 3 for driver Walter Cheverie, co-owner and trainer Alan Jones of Riverview, N.B., and Normand Leger of Shediac, N.B. The seven-year-old daughter of Articulator has had a star studded career with over $152,000 earned while never leaving the Maritimes and will look to add to her bankroll in the $3,870 division. Shadows Mystery gets post 2 with Kenny Arsenault in the bike after all ready recording a win in 1:56.3 this season while Prettyndangerous gets rail control with Marc Campbell picking up the catch drive this week.
Other entries in the first division include Windsun Kenda (Ken Murphy), Best Risque (Jason Hughes), West River Ambyr (Steven Shepherd) and Sendmeasign (Gary Chappell).
The other $3,870 division lines up behind the starting gate in race 11 with Woodmere Articblue and Campbell favoured from post 7 for owners Tanya Tremblett of Sydney Mines and Stevi Jardine of Georges River, N.S. Miss Machqueen has yet to crack the top four against the Open Mares in her first two East Coast starts but is listed as second favorite from post 5 for the team of driver Jason Hughes and conditioner Jennifer Trainor. Also in the field is Momara (Norris Rogers), SOS Bambie (Chappell), Brodys Leona (Corey MacPherson), Jinglewriter (Adam Merner) and Miss Oromocto (Mark Haig).
The afternoon top overnight pace hits the track in race 12 with Mando Fun putting his two-race Summerside top class streak on the line. The Paul Biggar owned and trained pacer gets shouldered with post 6 with Dale Spence driving, while Eagle Jolt is installed as the morning line choice for Campbell from post 5. The inside four positions are filled by Junebugs Baby (Myles Heffernan), D Bs Rosco (Arsenault), Narragansett (Hughes) and Pictonian Storm (Wade Sorrie).
By Nicholas Oakes For Red Shores
CHARLOTTETOWN, PE – The best three-year-old pacers in the region have the first leg of the Maritime Triple Crown firmly in their sights with it all coming down to Saturday night at Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park.
First race post time is 6 P.M. for the dash program with the Maritime Breeder’s Finals lining up in races 9 and 12. The program also features the $100,000 Dash for Cash promotion for customers. Two customers will be selected to go for the cash. Complete details on the promotions page.
Elektra Express has been nothing short of phenomenal so far in 2017 and draws post 2 in the $23,600 Ken Starratt Memorial Maritime Breeder’s final for three-year-old pacing fillies carded as race 9. The daughter of Western Paradise served notice that Dustlanemissmolly’s 1:55 three-year-old filly track record could be in jeopardy at any given time after an under wraps 1:55.4 victory in her elimination. Ryan Ellis will drive morning line choice for owner Danica Ellis of Nova Scotia and trainer Marc Campbell, who has three entrants in the rich final. Campbell drove Elektra Express to her unbeaten record so far this season but will elect to drive Filly Forty Seven from post 5 after winning the other elimination in 1:56.1. Gilles Barrieau drives the other Campbell entrant, Elm Grove Ladyluck, from post 8.
Bonzai Beach (Clare MacDonald) and Kinda Like Her (Kenny Arsenault) were both large in their eliminations, both finishing second. Other entries include Traces Of Purple (Walter Cheverie), Oceanview Beemer (Earl Smith) and Tobins Secret (Todd Trites).
The Doug Harkness Memorial Maritime Breeder’s final for three-year-old pacing colts has more Campbell flavour, as Island Energetic is the favorite from post 2 in the $21,400 event. ‘The King’ of Island racing, Campbell has an incredible record so far in 2017, winning 45 of 117 races prior to this Thursday’s card. To put it in perspective, Corey MacPherson was sitting in second place among the driver’s colony with just 18 wins. Island Energetic has been helping Campbell in the win department, as he has drove the son of Articulator to a six-race win streak and will again sit behind him in Saturday’s final. Nameisonthehalter has the rail position at 3-1 on the morning line with Adam Merner picking up the drive for owner-trainer Lawrence Snow of Nova Scotia after finishing third to Island Energetic in his elimination. Other eliminations winner Ic A Free Spirit (Ernie Laffin) and Complete Player (Mark Bradley) have posts 4 and 7, respectively.
Also in the championship field is Cowboys Dont Cry (Jason Hughes), Carters Caper (MacDonald), Tobinator (MacPherson) and Ashes To Ashes (Barrieau).
The preferred pacers will clash again this week in race 11 for a $2,400 purse. Invictus Hanover is new on the scene is shouldered with the outside in the five-horse field. Hughes trains and drives the winner of $305,000 lifetime for owner Foxyhall Racing of Nova Scotia since he was claimed for $20,000 at Yonkers Raceway in New York in December. With the addition of Invictus Hanover, Mr Irresistible loses his regular driver and gets the services of the track’s leading reinsman, Campbell, from post 4. Adkins Hanover has post 3 with MacPherson at the lines while Heart And Soul (MacDonald) has rail control and Mach It Big (Brian Andrew) leaves from post 2.
By Nicholas Oakes For Red Shores
Summerside, PE – The Confederation Bridge will be closed to traffic from 6am-1pm on Sunday June 18th as part of Canada’s 150th Celebrations. This could impact participants and customers planning to attend the harness racing program at Red Shores Summerside. The harness racing action kicks off at 1pm and features leg 1 of the Atlantic Aged Mares series presented by Standardbred Canada and Red Shores.
Entries competing in the series from off Island locations should make arrangements due to the bridge closure.
Red Shores’ race office can assist in stall assignments. For more information contact 1.902.629.6634.
By Lee Drake