CHARLOTTETOWN, PE – Sock It Away showed he did not need an inside post position or to see any pylons in the first lap to capture Saturday evening's Maritime Breeders final for three-year-old pacing colts.
Marc Campbell was at the lines of Sock It Away as he left from post 8 in the $18,000 Doug Harkness Memorial Maritime Breeder's final and elected to take the overland route to the front end. Race favourite Half Cut (Driven by Mark Bradley) laid down the early splits of 27.4 and 56.3 with Sock It Away in the outer flow before clearing to the lead past the half.
Three-quarters were reached in 1:26.2 then Sock It Away cruised home to a 1:56.1 victory over Dowahs Boy (Adam Merner) and Woodmere Ideal Art (Jason Hughes). The winning colt is trained by Kevin MacLean for owner Reg MacPherson of Stratford.
Royaltywestho landed in the winner's circle in the first three-year-old pacing filly stakes final of the 2018 season as Walter Cheverie guided her to victory in the $22,100 Ken Starratt Maritime Breeder's final.
R Es Shabla (Mike McGuigan) set the tempo on the front end with splits of 28.2, 58.2 and 1:28.3 with Royaltywestho stalking in the pocket. Cheverie moved the daughter of Westwardho Hanover down the stretch and she responded with a 28.2 closing panel for a time of 1:57.1.
R Es Shabla was second with Woodmere Ceilidh (Clare MacDonald) completing the triactor. The champion filly's ownership papers are held by Gregory Francis and Joseph Baxter of Windsor, N.S., with Baxter also handling the training.
Euchred was the winner in the $2,650 Preferred pace for the fastest mile of the 2018 Atlantic Canadian racing season with a winning time of 1:54.4 for driver Merner, trainer Terry Gallant and owner Kayla Habicht Walker of Inverness, N.S. A hard closing Czar Seelster (Todd Weatherbee) finished second with the show prize going to Cartoon Daddy (Corey MacPherson).
Campbell had two other wins on the card for the driving triple winning with Elm Grove Kaboom in 1:57.3 and Pure Friendship in 1:59.3, both from his own stable. For more information go to www.Redshores.ca.
by Nicholas Oakes, for Red Shores