Pacers tangle tonight
Mozartsplace, Jeb, Elm Grove Kaboom meet in tonight’s featured race
Speed has not been an issue for Mozartsplace in the early stages of his four-year-old season, but he will have to overcome his breaking issue to knock off the iron-tough competition in tonight’s featured pace.
First race post time for the 12-dash program at Red Shores at the Charlottetown Driving Park is 6:30 p.m. Mozartsplace is shouldered with the outside post in the sixhorse Race 11.
The $2,000 race has Gilles Barrieau driving the four-yearold son of Ponder for trainer Jackie Matheson and owners Shawn MacAdam and Brad Duplisea, all of Charlottetown. Mozartsplace was second in his four-year-old debut on June 3, but made a break at the start. He qualified in 1:58.4, with a quick 28.1 closing quarter, on June 10 and is established as the morning-line choice for tonight’s contest.
Jeb is slated as second choice from Post 3 while riding a two-race win streak, including a 1:56.4 victory on June 3 for trainer-driver Jason Hughes and Island owners Robi Hughes and Eric and Blair MacLauchlan.
Elm Grove Kaboom will be driven by Earl Smith from Post 5 and has yet to finish worse than second in six seasonal starts but was placed sixth in his latest outing for a break late in the mile.
Race analyst Les MacIsaac likes Jeb’s inside post.
“Jeb has dominated from start to finish in both of his races this year and there aren’t many out there that will catch him when he’s throwing in those closing panels in 28 and change,” MacIsaac said.
“If he secures the lead uncontested, there could be nothing but open road ahead.”
Other entries include Likely To Win (Adam Merner), Oh To Be Me (Gary Chappell) and Simon Said (Corey MacPherson).
The open trot lines up for a $1,850 purse with Freddie fresh off a 1:58.1 victory for trainerdriver Marc Campbell and owner Three Wisemen Stable of Kingston.
The Post 6 starter will again face off with Post 7 starter Morosita Bi (Hughes), who was an impressive 1:58.1 winner in her Island debut, two starts ago.
Other top entries include Osprey Impact (Walter Cheverie) and Holy Molie Maggie (Chappell).
Entries, B2.