After a pair of breaks in Gold Cup and Saucer Trial 2, Yankee Osborne will look for a comeback in the $20,000 James 'Roach' MacGregor Gold Cup and Saucer consolation Friday evening (August 21) at Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park.
The consolation event will line up for Race 12 on Friday’s card, which will kick off at 7 p.m. as part of Gold Cup and Saucer Week 2020.
Yankee Osborne will start from Post 1 with Neil MacInnis in the bike for trainer Ross MacInnis and owners Sarah Jane Stable of Ontario, Frank MacInnis of Nova Scotia and Thane Arsenault of Charlottetown. Yankee Osborne, who is the morning line favourite in the MacGregor consolation, won the $7,500 Lindsay Construction Cup in a track record performance.
Avatar J also made a break in stride in Trial 1 and has drawn Post 2 for Friday night with Gilles Barrieau in the driver’s seat for trainer Danny MacDonald. JJ Powerball just missed making the final with a fifth-place finish in Trial 2 and has retained the services of driver Brodie MacPhee. The 'Post Time Picks' in Friday’s program lists Avatar J as the top choice. “Avatar J gets a favourable post in here and might be able to draft behind Yankee Osborne the entire way. If he’s sitting second at the top of the stretch he could zip down the passing lane and get it all.”
The field also features Freddy Bear (to be driven by Marc Campbell), Mach It Again (Dale Spence), Best To Hurst (David Dowling) and Euchred (Redmond Doucet).
The evening card also features the Lady Slipper Stakes for three-year-old pacing fillies. Woodmere Skyroller has drawn Post 6 for Race 11, and she will be looking for the top prize in the $13,600 event from Post 6 for driver MacPhee and trainer Kevin MacLean.
The other $13,600 Gold division will take place earlier on in the card, and the Stephen Quinn stable's Watch Me Dance (Jason Hughes) has been installed as the morning line choice fresh off of a six-length, 1:55.4 romp.
The Larry Spencer Memorial Pace, sponsored by Coldwell Banker Parker Realty, has been carded as Race 1 (Rae Seelster and driver Adam Merner has been installed as the morning line favourite).
The Donnie and Nan Simmonds Memorial pace will see Winter Blast (David Dowling) try to overcome Post 7 in Race 2.
Divine Deo (Barrieau) is the top pick in the George Wilkie Memorial (Race 4).
Watch the broadcast at Redshores.ca and wager online at HPIBet.com.
To view the harness racing entries for Friday at the CDP, click the following link: Friday Entries - Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park.
(Red Shores)