CHARLOTTETOWN, PE – Eagle Jolt owned the last two Thursday cards at Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park but has to overcome a tougher post in this week's harness racing contest.
First race post time is 6:30 PM for the 12-dash program with the $2,100 feature slated as the evening finale. Eagle Jolt has drawn post 7 with Marc Campbell training and driving the nine-year-old son of Village Jolt for owners Wilbur and Marie MacDonald of Orwell Cove. He captured the previous two Thursday evening features in 1:58.2 and 1:56.4, respectively, with Campbell at the controls. The Big Bite looms a major danger from post 2 with Kenny Arsenault aboard, while IDK has yet to miss the board so far in 2016 but is shouldered with post 8.
Race analyst Les MacIsaac thinks Eagle Jolt will have trouble with an outer post and looks for The Big Bite to pick up the pieces.
"He came first up at the half last week and to his credit he still kicked home in 29 seconds to finish third," MacIsaac said of The Big Bite. We'll look for Kenny to work out a different trip tonight and if he does, he could get it all."
Other entries include My Lucky Killean (Ken Murphy), Fightmaster (Mike McGuigan), Likely To Win (Adam Merner), Artners In Crime (Ron Matheson) and Idealic Life (Corey MacPherson).
The top trotters on the East Coast will battle in race 6 on the card in the $1,950 Open Trot with a similar tale for trainer-driver Campbell as Freddie has the outer post in the field of six. Owned by Three Wisemen Stable of Cornwall, Freddie was victorious in his last two Open Trot appearances. Paymenowpaymelater is fresh off a 2:01.1 victory with Gilles Barrieau in the bike and will reunite with the New Brunswick driver from post 2, while Wedgewood has post three for driver Gary Chappell and owner-trainer Glenn Claybourne. Also in the field is Majian Chester (Jim Ripley), Holy Molie Maggie (MacPherson) and Frill Seeker (Arsenault).
The $1,700 back-up pace lines up in race 10 with Shadows Mystery (Barrieau) favoured over Howmac Missy (Campbell) and Celebrate Your Bet (Stephen Quinn).
For race programs, top picks and live broadcast go to www.redshores.ca
By Nicholas Oakes for Red Shores