Top-class pacers battle on New Year’s Eve
Sock It Away favoured in tonight’s CDP feature
Sock It Away has been brushing aside most of his aged competition but gets a fresh foe in tonight’s preferred pace during a special New Year’s Eve harness racing card at Red Shores at the Charlottetown Driving Park. The 13-race program starts with a special 6:30 p.m. post time as Red Shores will countdown to the 2019. Sock It Away is favoured in the Race 12 feature with Marc Campbell back in the bike from Post 5 in the $2,500 preferred pace for trainer Kevin MacLean and owner Reg MacPherson of Stratford. He will have some high-powered opposition as he looks to close out his three-year-old season as Euchred ships back to the East Coast from Ontario racing and draws Post 4 for owner Kayla Habicht Walker of Inverness, N.S., driver Adam Merner and new trainer Melissa Rennie.
Race analyst Les MacIsaac sees Sock It Away as the likely horse to hit the wire first and record win 20 of the season.
“Sock It Away has been making some high-calibre opposition look pretty ordinary since the stake season came to a conclusion, winning three
of four and just missing in the other one,” MacIsaac said. “It looks like the
road to the winner’s circle goes through him.”
Also in the featured field is Winter Blast (Jason Hughes), Red Magician (Corey MacPherson) and Burn Out Hanover (Kenny Arsenault).
Collective Wisdom will look to deliver as the morning-line favourite in the Race 11 open mares pace for a $2,350 purse. Rookie driver Drew Neill will again handle the five-year-old daughter of American Ideal for trainer Jackie Matheson and owner Woodmere Farms of Marshfield. She will face six rivals, including Ramblinglily (Merner), who ships in from the mainland after recently racing the top class at Truro Raceway in Nova Scotia.
Mr Irresistible will be the favourite to close out the calendar year in the Race 13 New Year’s Eve pace with Hughes at the controls for conditioner Jennifer Doyle. Island native Ryan Desroche, who is building a catch-driving career in Ontario, is also home for the holidays and will pick up three drives on the New Year’s Eve program.