Packed with firepower
Island pacers take on mainland invaders in CDP feature race
The Eliot River Ramblers capped a perfect showing in dramatic fashion.
The Ramblers scored late in regulation time to overcome a 2-0 deficit to edge the Winsloe/ Charlottetown Royals 3-2 in the championship game of the Central Queens Clippers youth soccer tournament’s Under-13 Boys Premier Division.
The Ramblers defeated the Summerside United 2-0, Stratford 7-0 and Halifax County United 7-1 in round-robin play, and topped the SherwoodParkdale Rangers 2-0 in a rainsoaked semifinal, which was delayed for 45 minutes due to thunder and lightning.
Liam Wood opened the scoring for the Ramblers within the first two minutes, and James Doucette added an insurance marker early in the second half.
Cody Cudmore recorded all three tournament shutouts for the Ramblers.
In the all-P.E.I. final, the Royals started fast and furious, building a 2-0 lead.
However, Carter MacRae scored on a rocket shot off a penalty kick late in the first half to get the Ramblers on the board before the break. Doucette then scored twice in the second half, including the winning goal late in regulation time.
This was the second tournament win for the Ramblers this summer. Eliot River went a perfect 6-0 in claiming the Codiac First Touch tournament last month in Moncton, N.B.
Old Home Week officially kicks off on today’s card at Red Shores at the Charlottetown Driving Park and the featured pace is packed with firepower.
First-race post time is 7 p.m. for the 11-dash card and the WG Barbour Pace takes centre stage in Race 11 for a $2,250 purse.
The top-notch field of pacers is headlined by Adkins Hanover from Post 4 fresh off a second place finish to Gold Cup and Saucer trial entry Do Over Hanover. The Trevor Hickentrained Adkins Hanover paced in 1:54.3 that night and gets the services of Kenny Arsenault again this week for owner Perry Burke of Grosse-Ile, Que. Likely To Win rides a two-race win streak into the Friday feature with Adam Merner at the controls while Forever Paradise and driver Mike McGuigan reignite their chemistry from Post 5.
The race also has a number of off-island entries with Intended Royalty (Gilles Barrieau) getting rail control with his last 11 starts seeing him finish no worse than second at Inverness Raceway in Nova Scotia. Veroi Bayama has six shipping in from the fair circuit in Quebec and gets accomplished FrenchCanadian driver Stephane Brosseau bring his talents to Old Home Week racing this year. It is quite possible Brosseau will make some history of his own during the next nine days as he is just seven wins short of 3,000 career victories.
KD Overdrive (Stephen Mason) gets Post 2, fresh off racing at Bangor in Maine, while Distinctiv Rusty (Jason Hughes) brings his impressive streak of 1:57 miles over him home base of Truro Raceway in Nova Scotia into Post 8. Eagle Jolt has Post 7 with Charlottetown’s leading driver, Marc Campbell, at the lines as the driver looks to add to his 68 victories so far this season, not counting action Thursday evening.
The James Aylward Leadership Pace hits the track in Race 3 with Twomacsoneshadow favoured from Post 5 with Barrieau in the bike for owners Howmac Farms Ltd of North Wiltshire and Wayne MacRae of Fall River, N.S.