SUMMERSIDE, PE – Seafood is on the menu as Red Shores at the Summerside Raceway plays host to a special harness racing card Wednesday evening.
First race post time is 7 pm for the 10-dash card with the program presented by the P.E.I. Department of Agriculture and Fisheries. Samples will be available on the tarmac all evening then the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries pace will hit the track in race 9 as Athletic Putnam looks to extend his four race win streak for driver Dale Spence, co-owner and trainer Paul Biggar of Tyne Valley and co-owner Donald Callbeck of Kensington. The post 3 starter took a new lifetime best in his latest outing with a 1:55.4 victory with Spence in the bike during Governor's Plate week racing in Summerside and now moves to a $10,000 claimer from his previous $8,000 price tag. His credentials earned him the respect of the Backstretch Beat in the Wednesday evening race program.
"The only difference today is that he has moved up in claiming price but we feel if they give him the same kind of respect they did last time in a small field he should extend it to five in a row," reads the Backstretch Beat.
Other entries in the compact $2,200 field of five include Oh To Be Me (Gary Chappell), Spirit Of America (Jason Hughes), Motorino (Terry Gallant) and Machinthesand (Norris Rogers).
Race 7 on the program has the Summerside Lobster Festival pace with JJ Romeo defending a smaller win streak but again with Spence in the bike. The Spence owned, trained and driven pacer won his last two contest in 2:00 and 1:58.1 and draws post 2 to earn the respect of classifier Gerard Smith as the 5-2 morning line favourite. His top competition in the $1,300 race includes Toad River (Gallant) and Rowlock Hanover (Hughes).
Arsenault Fish Mart Inc. sponsors race 8 with a cooler presentation with Woodmere No Fool the early favourite from post 3 with Brian MacPhee driving for owner-trainer Garth Cole of Kensington.
By Nicholas Oakes for Red Shores