CHARLOTTETOWN, PE – The beat goes on for Magical Mistress as she looks to extend her undefeated harness racing career to nine races Saturday evening in Lady Slipper stakes action at Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park.
The Saturday program has 14 races scheduled with a 6 P.M. first race post time. Magical Mistress has lucking continuing on her side as she has drawn post 1 in her $11,000 Lady Slipper gold division, carded as race 12 on the evening. Adam Merner drives the undefeated two-year-old filly for trainer Stephen Gass and owner Barry Martin of Sydney, N.S., against a field of five rivals. Also in the field is the formerly undefeated Therealdeal with Walter Cheverie in the bike as well as speedy Ontario bred filly So Much More (Driven by Mark Bradley).
The other $11,000 Lady Slipper gold division lines up in race 10 as Arc Light is installed as the morning line favourite from post 3 for trainer-driver Marc Campbell and owner Grayland Farm of Pugwash, N.S. The rookie daughter of Camystic has four top two finishes from just six lifetime starts.
The Joe O'Brien Memorial stake is also featured on the program for two-year-old pacing colts with a pair of $9,000 gold divisions in races 5 and 8. Race 5 has Purple Poet installed as the morning line choice with rail control for the combination of driver Gilles Barrieau, trainer Robert Phillips and owner Kevin Harvey of Hammonds Plains, N.S. The rookie son of Stonebridge Terror has some stiff competition including Dusty Lane Cortez (David Dowling), who rides a two-race win streak while he preps for next week's Atlantic Breeder's Crown final.
Red Dirt Boomer gets top billing in the other $9,000 O'Brien gold split with Barrieau at the lines for owner Daniel Ross of Belfast, P.E.I. The son of Malicious was placed the winner in his latest outing after divisional leader Woodmere Bolt went inside pylons last Saturday in Atlantic Sires Stakes action at Northside Downs in Nova Scotia. Woodmere Bolt gets post 4 this week for trainer-driver Earl Smith as he looks for revenge.
The program also features Lady Slipper grassroots divisions for two-year-old pacing fillies and O'Brien grassroots divisions for two-year-old pacing colts.
Open Mares Tangle In Atlantic Final
SUMMERSIDE, PE – The very best aged pacing mares on the Eastern Seaboard of Canada will lock bridles in the $15,517 Atlantic Aged Pacing Mares Series Final, presented by Standardbred Canada, Sunday afternoon at Red Shores at the Summerside Raceway.
Sodwana Bay gets top billing in the championship final that will cap off a mega-stakes card of 13-dashes Sunday afternoon with a 1 P.M. start time. Gilles Barrieau trains and drives Sodwana Bay for owners Howmac Farms Ltd., of North Wiltshire, P.E.I., and Wayne MacRae of Fall River, N.S. The five-year-old daughter of No Pan Intended has been exceptional all season in Atlantic Canada and comes into the race off a season's best 1:54.4 victory at Red Shores Charlottetown.
Collective Wisdom gets billed as second choice from post 3 with Walter Cheverie getting the catch driving call for trainer Jackie Matheson off a quadruple of top two finishes. Third choice goes to post 7 starter Prettyndangerous who finished second in this race last year and gets the services of Marc Campbell in the bike for trainer Bo Ford.
Race analyst Les MacIsaac sides with Sodwana Bay to cap off her memorable first season in Atlantic Canada with a championship win.
"Sodwana Bay has been the dominant mare in the region since arriving here in early summer and still hasn't been worse than second in all those starts," MacIsaac said. "Other than the short price there is not much to dislike."
In other Sunday afternoon action, the top trotters on the East coast will face off in Lady Slipper Memorial stakes action. The rookies trotters are in races 2 and 5 for $7,500 purses in each split while the sophomore trotters vie for $8,000 purses in races 7 and 9.
Three-year-old pacers also take the scene on the program with a pair of $10,000 Joe O'Brien Memorial divisions for pacing colts in races 8 and 11. Sock It Away will look to continue his undefeated season in race 8 with rail control for driver Campbell, trainer Kevin MacLean and owner Reg MacPherson of Stratford, P.E.I. The son of Pang Shui has been perfect in all 13 starts so far in 2018.
The Lady Slipper stakes also has a pair of $12,000 gold divisions hitting the track in races 10 and 12.
The Garth Schurman memorial will be presented in race 3 with rail sitter Kahula Morning listed as the morning line favorite for driver Jason Hughes and ownership team of Robi Hughes, Blair and Eric MacLauchlan.
For race programs and live video go to www.Redshores.ca.
By Nicholas Oakes, for Red Shores