CHARLOTTETOWN, PE – The Thursday night harness racing feature is anyone's race to win at Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park. First race post time is 7 pm for the 12-dash card.
Tempo Seelster is pegged as the morning line favorite in the $2,100 race 11 feature with owner-trainer-driver Vincent Poulton from post 4. The five-year-old son of Santanna Blue Chip has been knocking on the door every week but hasn't hit the winner's circle since May 9. He was a sharp second in his last start in 1:56.3 to Forever Paradise, but with that rival gone to race in New Brunswick this week the way is clear to the Charlottetown winner's circle with a bit of a fight. First Art Down (Ken Murphy) has the rail in the seven-horse contest with Say It Again Sam (Jason Hughes) looking for redemption from post 7 after his first finish off the board last week. Race analyst Les MacIsaac looks to post 2 starter Perfect Escape to replicate his 1:55.4 victory from his last start.
"He has won three of his last four with his latest matching his seasonal mark from 2014," MacIsaac said of Perfect Escape. "If he's able to set up shop on the front end, and it appears he has a good chance of doing that, it could be all over."
Other entries include PC Shockwace (Wade Sorrie), Waterside Light (Kenny Arsenault) and Cabo Pan Lucas (Daniel MacDonald).
The card also includes seven mares going head-to-head in race 9 for a $1,800 purse. Howmac Missy is the classifier's choice from post 2 for driver Marc Campbell, trainer Earl Watts and owners Howmac Farms of North Wiltshire and Wade Peconi of Stanchel. Her main morning line opponents are General Luckypercy (Matheson) and Lucksgottachange (Hughes) from posts 5 and 6, respectively. The field also includes Briannas Angel (Travis Wilkie), A Fiesty Xample (Mark Bradley), Veronicavermillion (Neil Bambrick) and Bettim Jenny (Jeff Lilley).
Race secretary Gerard Smith has carded two trot classes on the program with maiden trotters competing for $1,100 in race 1. Windemere Tribe (Darrell Neill) is the favorite from post 2.
Race 4 has eight conditioned trotters fighting for the lion's share of the $1,200 pot. JK Blaze is the morning line choice for driver Walter Cheverie and owner-trainer Joe Smallwood of Stratford.