Red Shores’ Charlottetown Driving Park and Summerside Raceway will play host to some of the biggest stakes stars in the region this weekend.
The Saturday CDP program features two-year-old colt sensation Heart And Soul in a division of the Joe O’Brien Memorial Gold for a purse of $11,000. The Clare MacDonald trainee has won five straight, which includes a track record-breaking performance of 1:55.3 over the city oval on September 19 in the PEI Colt Stakes. MacDonald will be in the bike in Race 11 and will start from Post 1 for owners George and Earith Riley of Kensington, PE. The son of Western Paradise-Mighty Sassy heads into the event with $25,206 earned with six wins, a second and third from eight starts. KD Overdrive will put his four-race win streak on the line from Post 5 for Gilles Barrieau, trainer Stephen Mason and the Downey Stables of New Brunswick.
Keen Edge (to be driven by Danny Romo), Rosewood (Kenny Arsenault) JK Cowboy (Ryan Perrot) and Jackson K Down (Gilles Barrieau) have been installed as morning line favourites for their respective O’Brien Memorial starts.
The two-year-old fillies are set to strut their stuff in four divisions of the Lady Slipper Stakes. Dixie Lullaby is the one to beat in the Lady Slipper Gold. Trainer-owner Johnny Heffernan has listed Todd Trites to drive the filly who has only missed the winner’s circle twice in her career. Riverboat Dancer (Mike Stevenson) and Camtizzy (Gilles Barrieau) are also listed as triactor candidates.
Future Edgebank and Pictonian Rachel have received the ‘top call’ in the Lady Slipper Grassroots, which carries a purse of $7,100.
In other action, the Martin MacDougall Memorial will get the action underway in Race 1. Celebrate Your Bet has been listed as morning line favourite for driver Jason Hughes. Hughes, who is closing in on career win No. 1,000, will be in the bike for trainer Nick Oakes and owner Douglas Matheson, Mt Albion, PE.
The first race will head to the starting gate at 6 p.m.
To view the harness racing entries for Saturday at the CDP, click the following link: Saturday Entries – Charlottetown Driving Park.
Proven Desire And Dixieland Band To Hook Up At Summerside
Summerside Raceway will host a big card with 13 races and over $123,000 in purse money on the line on Sunday. The historic Prince County oval is no stranger to headlines and Sunday will put some of the region’s heavy hitters on the page.
Time Warp has been named the 5-2 morning line favourite for Race 1, which is the Lady Slipper stakes opener for two-year-old trotters. Danny MacDonald will handle the daughter of Neal from Post 2 for owners Boyd MacDonald Produce Ltd., Daniel Ross, breeder William Andrew, Calgary, Alberta and Brian Andrew, who runs the Meridian Farms East operation from Milton Station, PE. Time Warp will be making her ninth start of the season and will need to keep a close eye on Da Master (Terry Gallant) from Post 5.
The big match-up of the afternoon is in Race 12 when the three-year-old colts will line up behind the starting gate in a division of the Joe O’Brien gold. Dixieland Band, with Gilles Barrieau in the bike, has drawn Post 1, while Proven Desire is set to fire from Post 5 for Marc Campbell. The son of Proven Lover is owned by Blair Hansen, Meghan MacDonald, John Thomas, NS. These two have been trading punches all season. Proven Desire took top honours in their last test in the Turner at Truro Raceway in 1:57, while Dixieland Band, owned by Reg MacPherson, David and Aaron MacKenzie, took first place in Charlottetown at the PEI Colt Stakes for trainer Kevin MacLean.
The other O’Brien gold has BNGS Express (Danny Romo), Camco Titan (Campbell) and JJ Romeo (Mike Stevenson) vying for the biggest pay day. Arnold Dick, trained by track announcer Vance Cameron, will line up in Post 5.
The Atlantic Aged Pacing Series, which is co-sponsored by Standardbred Canada, will see nine finalists duke it out for a purse of $16,517.
Ramblinglily heads into the event as the early favourite, but she will have to maneuver from Post 9 in the back tier for Walter Cheverie. Cheverie could opt to follow rail sitter For All We Know as they blast off the gate for position. The Jackie Matheson trainee will have Summerside’s winningest driver, Gary Chappell, at the controls, while stablemate General Luckypercy, who put an end to ‘Lily’s streak last week, will start from Post 5 for Barrieau. The power-packed line up also has Romance In Camelot (Campbell), Bettim Jenny (Jeff Lilley), Best Risque (Clare MacDonald), Brodys Leona (Ken Murphy), Stayoutofmyaffair (Jason Hughes) and Rose Valley (Kenny Arsenault).
Don’t miss any of the action Sunday with nine Lady Slipper stakes, three Joe O’Brien stakes and one Atlantic Aged Pacing series final.
First-race post time is 1 p.m.
To view the harness racing entries for Sunday at Summerside, click the following link: Sunday Entries – Summerside Raceway.
(With files from Red Shores)