The Big Bite looms large

First Thursday card of the race season goes tonight

A hike in class can be a daunting task but one pacer will attempt to prevail over the odds in the first Thursday evening feature of the season tonight at Red Shores at the Charlottetown Driving Park.

The capital oval switches to a twice a week schedule of Thursday and Saturday evenings beginning this week. First race post time for tonight’s 10-race card is 6:30 p.m.

The evening feature lines up in Race 9 with The Big Bite drawing Post 5 in the $1,900 event after winning his last outing two classes down the ladder. Kenny Arsenault drives The Big Bite for co-owner and trainer Jack Arsenault and Island coowners Donna McIveer and Edward Blaisdell along with Deborah Wilson of Nova Scotia.

Regardless of the jump in class, race analyst Les MacIsaac likes The Big Bite’s chances to win.

“The Big Bite steps up after last week’s win, but it’s not somewhere he hasn’t been before,” MacIsaac said. “He was so impressive in that one, after being on the bench for four months, that he might just be the one they’ll have to knock off.”

Three Truths has the rail for driver Vaughan Doyle, fresh off his first qualifier of the season, while Painted Pony has Post 2 for Mark Bradley. Hickory Chumley leaves from Post 3 for driver Marc Campbell, Give Em Heck and Brian MacPhee leave from Post 4 and Simon Said has Post 6 after dropping from the preferred ranks and gets the catch-driving services of Corey MacPherson.

A tight-knit group of pacing mares lines up in Race 5 on the card with a $1,600 purse. Internal Check is favoured from Post 5 for owner Jamie Whalen of Vernon Bridge and trainerdriver Mike McGuigan.

Other top entries include Julep Hanover (Wade Myers) and Brodys Leona (MacPherson).

The Gormanizor makes his East Coast debut in Race 1 with Jason Hughes at the lines for owner Heather Gamester of Brookfield. Johannahs Jet is another fresh face and lands in Race 8 for her Island debut for trainer-driver Todd Walsh.