SUMMERSIDE, PE – Canada has a special guest in its 150th Birthday celebration as Canadian Harness Racing rings in its 250th year of competition as Red Shores at the Summerside Raceway holds a special Saturday afternoon card.
First race post time is 1 P.M. for the Saturday afternoon program with 13-dashes on tap for Canada Day racing. The Canada Day Pace lines up in race 12 while other dashes will race in honour of some of the foundation individuals in Island harness racing as the sport celebrates 250 years since the first recorded races at the Plains of Abraham in Quebec.
The Saturday afternoon Canada Day pace has a hard hitting field of seven including Eagle Jolt looking for revenge after falling short in his latest start to Machinthesand. Eagle Jolt gets post 7 in the event with trainer Marc Campbell also doing the driving for owners Wilbur and Marie MacDonald of Orwell Cove, while Machinthesand has post 6 with Ken Murphy aboard. Rash B Havior has been knocking at the door in recent weeks as he rounds into form and gets the services of Walter Cheverie in the $2,200 race. Other entries include Narragansett (Jason Hughes), Windemere Rene (Gary Chappell), D Bs Rosco (Kenny Arsenault) and Mach It Big (Brian Andrew).
A field of trotters compete in race 11 in honour of longtime Island harness racing participants Jim Macmillan and Alyre Pineau, who both showed a knack for the trotting breed. Professor Gordon is the morning line choice from post 7 for driver Terry Gallant and owner-trainer Deanna Clow of New Haven. Other top entries include Phantom Beau (Kenny Arsenault) and Zip The Lip (Adam Merner).
The other events will be races in appreciation of the commitment shown to Island racing by Ensor Perry, Arnold Blacquiere, Leith Clark, John L. Bernard, Ron MacArthur, Gordie Grady, Wendell Shaw, Bernie Gallant, Lester Chappell, Thane Mann, George Riley, Eric Johnston, Harry Robblee, Paul McKinnon, Willis Silliker, Walter Simmons, Orville Willis, Johnny Doyle, Boyd MacDonald and Erwin Howatt.
Catch all the action live or check out Redshores.ca for race programs, live video, and promotional information including the $100,000 Dash For Cash being offered again this weekend.
By Nicholas Oakes For Red Shores