Bugsy Maguire may have lost the early tussle off the gate this week but there was no stopping his march to the winner’s circle in the Cecil Ladner Memorial Invitational Saturday evening (June 22) at Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park.
Rose Run Quest was quickest off the wings in the $5,500 featured event with Doctor Royal getting away in the pocket spot and Bugsy Maguire ducking into the three-hole in the first turn. Through fractions of :27.4 and :56.4, driver Myles Heffernan Sr. angled Bugsy Maguire out of third and began his first-over advance on Rose Run Quest before three-quarters of 1:25.4. He then wore down his pacesetting foe in the final quarter and prevailed by one-and-a-half lengths in 1:55.2 on a rainy night. Rose Run Quest was second while Euchred was third.
Walter Simmons holds the ownership papers of the five-year-old son of Bettors Delight while Bugsy Maguire hangs his harness bag in the Wade Sorrie stable.
The Cecil Ladner Memorial was the top event but the Ladner family was front and center in another top event as Jordies Hope was a winner in the $2,800 Fillies and Mares Open in 1:57.1 with Corey MacPherson at the lines. Brian Ladner, the son of the late Cecil Ladner, co-owns and trains the daughter of Astronomical with fellow Charlottetown residents Lillian and Kevin Ladner.
The night was also home to a harness racing rarity with three dead heats on the evening including two different races with dead heats for the winning spot.
Race 2 on the card saw Hysteria, driven by Corey MacPherson, hit the wire in unison with Fox Valley Riviera and Jason Hughes in 2:00. Michael Gallant trains Hysteria while Kevin Gills handles the training duties on Fox Valley Riviera.
The second dead heat for victory was in Race 5 as Vaughan Doyle trainee Windsun Rebel and Dale Spence crept up in the finals strides to hit the line together with the Jackie Matheson trained Give Em Heck and Gilles Barrieau in a mile time of 2:01.2.
Gillis had two training wins on the program as Jeb closed out the card with a 1:57.4 score with Hughes in the bike.
Midnight Matt tripled Hughes in the weekly Drive For Home Series event presented by Hillside Chevrolet Buick GMC Cadillac. Time of the mile was 1:58 for the Jennifer Doyle owned and trained pacer.
MacPheron also had three wins on the card as Soccer Hanover captured the $3,000 Junior Invitational in 1:56.3 for owner-trained Leith Waite of Summerside.
Total wager on the evening was $51,511.
(with files from Charlottetown Driving Park)
To view Saturday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Saturday Results - Charlottetown Driving Park.