CHARLOTTETOWN, PE – If the rivalry between Charlottetown's top two pacing titans was a best-of-seven series then it is coming to a close with Saturday night do or die for Adkins Hanover at Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park.
The 10-dash Saturday evening card gets underway at 6 P.M. for the $2,400 Preferred pace lining up in race 9 on the program. Mr Irresistible and Adkins Hanover have faced off five times since the season opened up with the former leading with three wins compared to two victories. Adkins Hanover made a break in his latest start but will attempt to tie things up from post 5 for driver Corey MacPherson, trainer Trevor Hicken and owner Perry Burke of Quebec. Mr Irresistible is saddled with the outside in the six horse field with Jason Hughes at the lines for Jennifer Trainor and owner Danny Birt of Stratford.
Race analyst Les MacIsaac gives the edge to Adkins Hanover putting things back together to reign victorious.
"It just wasn't his day last week but those things can happen to the best of them," MacIsaac said of Adkins Hanover. "The horse to his immediate right (Mr Irresistible) has taken a three-to-two lead in the head to head battle so this guy will be looking to even things up and send it to a seventh and deciding game."
Other entries include Rash B Havior (Mike Peters), Instant Shadow (Gilles Barrieau), Eagle Jolt (Marc Campbell) and Junebugs Baby (Myles Heffernan).
The back-up pace has Howmac Missy riding a three-race win streak into race 7 on the card. The $1,800 event has Barrieau driving Howmac Missy for trainer Earl Watts and Island owners Windemere Farms, Andrew Ward, Brittany Watts and Albert Hickox. Starcastic is favoured in the race after dropping from the preferred ranks and drawing post 1 with Brian MacPhee in the bike for trainer Jackie Matheson.
A newcomer to Charlottetown will compete in race 2 on the card as Hes The Man has post 7 for new owner-trainer Jeff Holmes of Orwell and driver Walter Cheverie. The maiden three-year-old son of Shadow Play shows a mile in 1:58 and change over a half-mile track so far in his short career.
Catch all the action live or on Redshores.ca.
Campbell Trainees Lead The Pack In Mega Stakes Summerside Sunday
SUMMERSIDE, PE – The first stakes program of the Island racing season hits Red Shores at the Summerside Raceway Sunday afternoon as the Prince County oval plays host to the Bob Dewar and Ruby Chappell Memorial Stakes.
The 14-dash program kicks off at 1 P.M.with four divisions of the Bob Dewar for three-year-old pacing colts in races 5, 8, 12 and 14. The first $6,550 Dewar division in race 5 has Island Energetic riding an undefeated season into post 5 for trainer-driver Marc Campbell and owners Paul Gray and Bernadette Burgess of Nova Scotia. The three-year-old son of Articulator has a four-race win streak on the line and draws a deep field of seven rivals including Pownal Bay Saul (Mark Bradley), Ashes To Ashes (Gilles Barrieau) and Mick Dundee (Don MacNeill).
Jigtime Jones is favoured in the race 8 division for co-owner and driver Neldie MacDonald of Nova Scotia, while race 12 has Complete Player looking for his second stakes win of the season for driver Bradley, trainer Tom Weatherbie and owner David Kennedy of Charlottetown. The final Dewar division in race 14 will see last year's Atlantic Breeder's Crown champion Tobinator (Corey MacPherson) square off against Maritime Breeder's champion Nameisonthehalter (Barrieau).
The $6,550 divisions of the Ruby Chappell stakes for three-year-old pacing fillies are to be held in races 3, 7, 10 and 13. Atlantic Breeder's Crown and Maritime Breeder's winner Filly Forty Seven headlines the first division in race 3 for trainer-driver Campbell and owners Darryl MacLean of Winsloe, Katelyn Smallwood of Stratford, Cory Carver of Montague and Tanya Tremblett of Nova Scotia.
Campbell is set to go off as the favorite in the second Chappell division in race 7 as he trains and drives last year's Island Breeder's champion Elektra Express from post 3 for owner Danica Ellis of Nova Scotia. Elektra Express will see her main challenge come from Maritime Champion Woodmere Finesse (Bernard McCallum) from post 4.
Race 10 has another Ruby Chappell division and yet again trainer-driver Campbell has the morning line choice with post 1 starter Elm Grove Ladyluck, while the final division in race 13 will see Goodmorning Ky (Norris Rogers) face off with Livin The Moment (Jason Hughes) and Kinda Like Her (Kenny Arsenault).
The Sunday afternoon program also featured a preferred pace in race 11 with Machinthesand (Rogers), Forever Paradise (Barrieau) and Pictonian Storm (Gary Chappell) among the starters in the $2,400 event.
Catch all the action live or on Redshores.ca.