With co-favorite Sparky Mark (Simon Allard) off the gate at the start, driver Marc Campbell saw opportunity knocking on the door and sent Take It Back Terry to the front and they held on with ease in capturing the second elimination division of the Gold Cup & Saucer Monday at Charlottetown Driving Park on Prince Edward Island.
Now the Allard vs Burke rivalry continues in the Gold Cup & Saucer final next Saturday for the third straight year. Allard won it last year, Burke the year before.
The 12th race feature Monday saw local favorite D Gs Camme (Gilles Barrieau) shoot to the early lead from the rail with Big Surf (Jody Jamieson) sneaking into the pocket-seat and a seemingly hung-out-to-dry Take It Back Terry first-over from the start.
Then by a brisk :26.4 opening quarter mile, driver Marc Campbell had power with Take It Back Terry as they muscled their way to the lead. But there was only room for a :28 quarter breather to the half in :54.4 before Simon Allard came first-over with Sparky Mark as Lucan Hanover (Jonathan Drury) grabbed the second-over spot.
Down the backstretch they raced, Sparky Mark trying to collar pacesetter Take It Back Terry by the three-quarters in 1:23, but it was to no avail as Take It Back Terry was the strong horse, going on to win by one and three-quarter lengths in 1:50.4 with Sparky Mark second best and D Gs Camme third. Finishing fourth and making the final was Lucan Hanover.
“It wasn’t the plan at all (going to the front),” Marc Campbell said. “I kinda looked over and saw that Simon (Allard) was off the gate so I figured I would go for it. I saw that Gilles (Barrieau) was going to the front and I figured he would let me go and I wanted to control the pace.
“Then Simon came first over up the backstretch and that is where I wanted him,” Campbell said. “It all worked out great.”
It was the sixth win this year for Take It Back Terry. The eight-year-old gelded son of Western Terror is trained by Ron Burke and owned by Burke Racing Stable, Weaver-Bruscemi, Larry Karr and Phillip Collins. He paid $4.40 to win.
Take It Back Terry
By Steve Wolf, for Harnesslink.com