Matheson returns to sulky
On Charlottetown’s card Saturday
It will have been 126 days since he lined up behind the starting gate in pari-mutuel action, but Saturday night at Red Shores Racetrack and Casino Ron Matheson is back.
First-race post time for the 13-dash card is 6 p.m., with the personable Matheson seeing a return to action in Race 5 behind Artners In Crime from Post 4 for trainer and son Jackie Matheson. The elder Matheson drove the first two dates when racing resumed in April in Charlottetown, but then suffered a leg injury in the race paddock before a qualifier on May 6.
A winner of 1,080 races lifetime as a driver, along with $1.2 million in purses, Matheson has been a frequent leading percentage driver in Charlottetown and past winner of the Acorn Memorial and Paul MacDonald Memorial trophy for top driver on Horseperson’s Day.
Matheson will also drive Starcastic from Post 3 in the Race 8 $2,100 back-up pace, where Eagle Jolt (Driven by Marc Campbell) is the morning-line favourite.
Four Corners will complete Matheson’s trio of drives in Race 13 while shouldered with Post 8.
Feature
The Saturday evening feature at the provincial capital will feature Adkins Hanover defend his ranking of morningline favourite from Post 5 in the $2,400 event. Corey MacPherson drives the Trevor Hickentrainee against a very deep field of pacers.
Caracci Hanover (Jason Hughes) has been impressive since relocating to the East Coast for conditioner Jennifer Trainor. His stablemate, Mr Irresistible, has Post 7 as Ken Murphy picks up the catch drive.
Other entries include Likely To Win (Adam Merner), Rose Run Quest (Campbell), Forever Paradise (Gilles Barrieau) and Nogreatmischief (Walter Cheverie).
The $2,250 Fillies and Mares Open pace hits the track in Race 10 as defending-champion Good Luck Kathy has Post 6 for the combination of Hughes and Trainor for owner Danny Birt of Stratford. Ramblinglily again has the outside – Post 8 – this week for Cheverie and trainer Alan Jones, and Prettyn dangerous returns from being scratched sick to ride her two-race win streak into Post 7 for driver Merner and trainer Bo Ford.
The $100,000 Dash For Cash promotion continues on the Saturday evening card. Every customer spending $10 or more in one wager gets a chance to be one of two picked for the Race 13 challenge. Check out www. redshores.ca for contest details, live video and more.