Saturday is Horseperson’s Day at Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park, featuring nine driver’s vying for the top spot in the Paul MacDonald Memorial Driving Challenge.
First race post time is 12:30 p.m. for the 13-dash card, presented by the Prince Edward Island Standardbred Horse Owner’s Association. The driving challenge features top five dash-winning drivers, with a valid Association membership, Marc Campbell, Jason Hughes, Corey MacPherson, Kenny Arsenault and Gary Chappell. The nine person event also has top percentage drivers with over 75 starts, Ron Matheson and Vincent Poulton, along with Jack Panting and Terry Gallant representing the top percentage with 40 to 75 starts category.
The competition kicks off in Race 2, followed by heats in Races 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10 and 11 with it all coming down to Race 12. The MacDonald Memorial trophy goes to the top point-earner from the day.
In other action, Race 9 features six Open pacing mares in the $2,350 Glenn Taylor Memorial Pace, with Sam favoured for trainer/driver Hughes and owner Foxyhall Racing of Wallace, N.S. The four-year-old daughter of Dragon Again is sporting a seven-race win streak as she sits undefeated since relocating to the East Coast. Ramblinglily returns from New Brunswick and will leave from post four for driver Walter Cheverie, while Best Risque, who had her win streak snapped by Sam last week, has post six for driver Campbell. Other entries include Sendmeasing (Arsenault), General Luckypercy (Matheson), and Brodys Leona (MacPherson).
Bazillion will look for his second straight win in the Race 13, MPHRC Pace with Brian MacPhee in the bike for trainer Trevor Hicken and owner Kent Livingston of Cornwall, P.E.I. The $2,100 race has Motorino (Gallant) and Nogreatmischief (Cheverie) pegged as top competitors.
The top horse in Nova Scotia will go head-to-head with P.E.I.’s best in the Race 11, Preferred Pace for a $2,400 pot on Sunday afternoon's program.
Mach Wheel will leave from post six in the featured pace with Mark Bradley getting the catch-driving call from trainer and regular driver Darren Crowe and owner Roy Springett of Nova Scotia. The seven-year-old son of Mach Three will put his seven straight victories to the test as he faces post five starter All Turain, with MacPherson in the bike for trainer Hicken and owner Lee Hicken of Charlottetown. All Turain has been undefeated since reuniting with MacPherson two starts ago, and six other rivals in the class including Waterside Light (Arsenault), Forever Paradise (Campbell), First Art Down (Ken Murphy), Prince Sharka (MacPhee) and Clic K (Matheson). Also in the field is post eight starter Nobles Grand Slam (Cheverie), who is one of four entrants on the card from the stable of Maine trainer Bo Sowers. Sowers will also send out Regal Delight (Cheverie) in Race 7 and My Last Chance (Campbell) in Race 9.
The other Sowers entry is in the Race 5 Open Trot with a $1,950 purse. Swift Kid has post seven, with Campbell in the bike for trainer Sowers and owners Mo Coo Inc. and Jonathan Klee Racing, both of New York. The classy 10-year-old son of Yankee Glide was a recent winner in 1:58.4 over the Freyburg fair track in Maine, stamping him as a major threat in the race to regular top CDP trotters Holy Molie Maggie (Chappell) and Caliban Hanover (Cheverie).
The 12-dash Sunday afternoon program has a 12:30 p.m. scheduled start time.
To view the Red Shores entries for this weekend, click on the following links: Saturday Entries / Sunday Entries.
(With files from Red Shores)