By Nicholas Oakes For Red Shores
CHARLOTTETOWN, PE – The Sports Desk etched his name as the final winner of 2024 on a special New Year’s Eve program at Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park.
Driver Gilles Barrieau steered the three-year-old son of Sportswriter to a 1:59.2 win at 5-1 betting odds for trainer Ron Matheson and owners Joseph Dahl and Jack Keenan in the race 14 finale.
Barrieau tripled up on the evening winning with Miramichi Alanna (2:01) at 3-1 odds for trainer Jeff Holmes and Here Comes Emmett in the New Year’s Eve Pace in 2:00.4 at 2-1 odds for trainer Melvin Gamester.
Bee Two Bee was a 4-5 winner in the $4,600 Preferred Pace with Jason Hughes driving for trainer Ashley Gamester and owners Donald MacRae and Blair MacLauchlan in a 1:55.3 clocking. Hughes, Gamester and MacRae also captured the $3,650 top trot of the evening with Fight Song (1:59.4) at 2-5 odds for the Kadabra five-year-olds third straight.
Hughes also won with Czarspieceofheaven (2:02.4) for the driving triple at 12-1 odds for trainer Todd Weatherbee.
Marc Campbell won his 15th straight driving title in Charlottetown with 171 wins ahead of David Dowling at 129 winners. Campbell’s pursuit of the first ever Atlantic Canadian million-dollar season fell $1,298 short as he finished the year at $998,702 in prize money eclipsing Corey MacPherson’s former record of $781,573 set in 2023.
Elm Grove Mistress (2:01.4) won her eighth-in-a-row at 2-5 odds for driver Dowling to give trainer Jennifer Doyle 113 wins on P.E.I., in 2024, putting her in a tie for the all-time record with Marc Campbell. Doyle also set the record for most wins ever solely at Red Shores Charlottetown as she won her second-straight training title with 97 victories. Matheson was second with 64 wins.
Live racing continues Saturday afternoon (Jan. 4) at 12:30 P.M. at Red Shores Charlottetown. Visit our Player Portal for more racing!
