By Nicholas Oakes For Red Shores
CHARLOTTETOWN, PE – Atlantic Canada’s past stakes stars will descend on the capital oval Saturday evening as the PEI Colt Stakes Graduate Series resumes with Gold and Grassroots divisions at Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park.
The 15-dash card gets underway at 6 P.M. with the $7,600 Gold division of the P.E.I. Colt Stakes Graduate Series, presented by Kay’s Wholesale, lining up in race 12. The dash has Merigo Magic the likely favourite from post 8 with trainer-driver Adam Merner at the controls. The son of Tobago Cays comes into the event with a win, a second and a third since coming back to P.E.I., for owners Mike May, Herman McQuaid, Ian Walker and Derrick Cameron.
Merigo Magic will have to overcome a challenging post 8 draw and tackle a tough cast including Middleton Terror (David Dowling), who won the first leg of this series in May, along with arch-rival from the 2024 season Jackies Boy (To be driven by Myles Heffernan Sr.) from post 5.
The Post Time Picks is sticking with the Merner stable star despite the post.
“Merigo Magic beat the top class two starts back and just missed last time out. He was covered up along the inside for most of the mile in his last two trips, so we have yet to see him stretch his legs. With post eight, Merner will have to catch some cover and cut him loose in the final quarter. Top call.”
A pair of $5,200 P.E.I. Colt Stakes Graduate Series Grassroots divisions are scheduled in races 8 and 10.
In race 8, Allaboutthecash (Brady Sweet) is the early favourite from post 6 over Good Omen (Paul Langille) and Silver Spirit (Gilles Barrieau) in a very even group. Jeff Holmes trains the race favourite who is winless in 2025 but boasts two wins and five thirds from eight starts.
Race 10 has Jack Boswall (Marc Campbell) getting the nod as the 5-2 morning line choice from post 1 for trainer Keith MacDonell. Dusty Lane Zoro (Don MacNeill) with post 6 and Impeccable Shadow (Langille) from post 5 will look to spoil the party.
Race 6 is the FedEx pace with First Glance (Marc Campbell) the top choice from post 3 from the Landon Campbell barn over Laughagain Hanover (Jason Hughes) and Elroy Shiner (Jeff Holmes).
A power packed $5,500 Preferred 1 Pace hooks the second-last dash of the night in race 14 with a stacked field that includes some of the East Coast’s best. The headlines will centre on Save America (Ken Murphy), who makes his second P.E.I., start after blistering the oval in 1:51 flat last week in his return to the Jamie Smith stable. He has drawn the outside post 8 this week.
Odds On Capitalism (Dowling) joins the Chris MacKay stable as the horse exits the Preferred ranks at Woodbine Mohawk Park in Ontario and draws post 5 on Saturday.
Also in the field are Bee Two Bee (Hughes), Twin B Tuffenuff (Barrieau), Wind Blown (Paul Langille), All Bets On Tex (Merner), Roll Em (Marc Campbell) and Blood Money (Corey MacPherson).
Fans can catch all the action live or wager from home through HPIBET.COM. For race programs, replays, and the Race Day broadcast, visit the new player portal at Redshores.ca.
