CHARLOTTETOWN, PE – Time To Dance was much the best in The Guardian Gold Cup and Saucer final and will return to the scene of his biggest career harness racing win fresh off a two-week break on Saturday at Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park.
The 12-dash Saturday card has a 6 P.M. first-race post time with the Gold Cup and Saucer reunion happening in the race 11 preferred pace for a $3,100 purse. Time To Dance was razor sharp on August 22 winning the crown jewel of Atlantic Canadian harness racing for trainer-driver Marc Campbell and owners Matt McDonald of Edwards, Ont., and Brent Campbell of Charlottetown and has not raced since that night. The win in that $60,000 event put the four-year-old pacer's lifetime earnings at over $105,000.
Gold Cup and Saucer runner-up Lisburn has again drawn post 1 for trainer-driver Kenny Arsenault on Saturday while Simple Kinda Man will leave from post 3 with Jason Hughes aboard after beating the preferred class last week. Woodmere Ideal Art, the first Island bred to make the Gold Cup and Saucer final since 2008, has post 2 with Ken Murphy picking up the catch drive for trainer Sifroi Melanson of New Brunswick.
The Post Time Picks in Saturday's race program give the edge to Lisburn off his favourable post position draw. "Lisburn makes his first start back since that terrific second place finish in the Gold Cup & Saucer. He may get another perfect pocket ride in here and if he does could reach up and get it all."
Other entries in the preferred field are $20,000 James (Roach) MacGregor Gold Cup and Saucer consolation winner Avatar J (To be driven by Brodie MacPhee) and Gold Cup and Saucer fifth place finisher Rose Run Quest, making his first start in the Gilles Barrieau barn.
Jimmy Be Good makes his East Coast debut in race 4 of the program as the 26-time winner moves into the Jill Maclean barn for owner David Tierney of Cornwall. MacPherson will hold the lines of the eight-year-old Art Colony pacer as the horse looks to add to his $246,831 in prize earnings. Mick Dundee (Don MacNeill) is the morning line favourite in the $2,300 event.
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Euchred, Cowboy Logic Face Off In Summerside
SUMMERSIDE, PE – Cowboy Logic has been impeccable on red soil but his winning ways could come to an end courtesy of Euchred on a special Labour Day program Monday afternoon at Red Shores at the Summerside Raceway.
The 13-dash Monday card has a 1 P.M. start time with the most anticipated match-up of the afternoon coming in the race 9 back-up class as Gold Cup and Saucer trial starter Euchred drops in class and draws post 1 in his $2,500 assignment. Owned by Kayla Habicht-Walker of Inverness, N.S.,
Euchred last raced on P.E.I. in the $20,000 James (Roach) MacGregor Gold Cup and Saucer consolation where he sat third and faded to sixth. The Shadow Play eight-year-old does his best work on the front end and is likely to be pointed there by driver Corey MacPherson. Walter Walker trains the 58-time winner as the horse looks for win number seven of the season.
Cowboy Logic has been next to untouchable his last eight starts, with him landing on the line first all of those starts but being placed back on his July 25 victory, but will have to contend with the outside post 8 on Monday. Steven Shepherd will sit behind the three-year-old for trainer Harold Shepherd.
The Backstretch Beat in Monday's card places the bullseye on Euchred as the one to beat. "The fractions are bound to be hot in here with Euchred on the boiler. He will need to find some serious separation to keep Cowboy Logic away from him but we know he has it in him. The road to the winner's circle goes through him."
The $2,800 top pace of the day lines up in race 12 as JJ Powerball drops out of the preferred level to draw post 2 for driver Brodie MacPhee, trainer Wade Sorrie and owners Austin Sorrie of Freelton, Ont., and Tammy Collings of Hazel Brook. The Image Of Dawn pacer was a third place finisher in the preferred last week at Red Shores Charlottetown and finished fourth in the $20,000 MacGregor consolation the start previous. Other top entries are Heart And Soul (To be driven by Jason Hughes) and Pillage And Burn (Ken Murphy).
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by Nicholas Oakes, for Red Shores