Newcomers, mainland invaders highlight CDP feature
Mainlanders and locals will clash in today’s featured event at Red Shores at the Charlottetown Driving Park as part of weekend-long racing at the capital oval.
First race post time is 12:30 p.m. for the 12-dash Saturday program with another card of racing scheduled for Sunday at 12:30 p.m. at the CDP.
On the Saturday card, Race 11 will be the featured event with a newcomer to Island racing, Silverinyourpocket, getting rail control in the $2,250 preferred 2 class for trainer-driver Jason Hughes and owner Robi Hughes of Stratford. The three-year-old son of Badlands Hanover was a runnerup in his first East Coast outing last week, pacing in 1:57.1 but has some seasoned competition this Saturday. Weather Hanover has Post 2 shipping in from Truro Raceway in Nova Scotia for trainer Jeff Ellis. The six-year-old son of Somebeachsomewhere has been installed as the morning line favourite with Gilles Barrieau in the race bike. Goliath Reigns also makes the trek to Charlottetown from Truro, N.S., getting the driving services of Dale Spence from Post 3 for trainer Dawn Ellis Abbott.
Race analyst Les MacIsaac likes the superior post position of Silverinyourpocket.
“Silverinyourpocket was a bang up second in his local debut and now that he’s back on the seven-day rotation and over the relocation process he could be the one to knock off,” MacIsaac said.
Other preferred 2 entries include Painted Desert (Corey MacPherson), The Big Bite (Marc Campbell) and Heart And Soul (Walter Cheverie).
SUNDAY
It seems the 2017 season at the CDP has been all about Marc Campbell and he will try to continue the trend in his record-setting season Sunday afternoon at the capital oval.
First race post time is 12:30 p.m. for the 12-dash program with the $2,550 preferred pace lining up in the finale with Rose Run Quest controlling the rail for trainer-driver Campbell.
The Blair Hansen-owned pacer has been on top of his game since relocating the P.E.I. this summer and will look to help add to Campbell’s remarkable tempo. CDP-leading driver Campbell continued his quest to rewrite history last weekend at the capital oval netting win number 145 of the season. That victory topped the previous driving win high of 144 win at the CDP set in 2016, also by Campbell.
The Winsloe native is in the midst of the second-highest win season of Atlantic Canadian harness racing history. Campbell has 238 wins so far this season racing on the East Coast, bested only by Steve Mahar, who won 284 races campaigning from New Brunswick in 1990. Rose Run Quest will try to add to those totals for Campbell but he has to knock off the red hot Adkins Hanover to do it.
Adkins Hanover has four wins and a second from his last five starts for driver Corey MacPherson and trainer Trevor Hicken but is now handicapped with Post 8 this week. Czar Seelster will look for redemption from Post 5 in the class after finishing second in last week’s preferred pace but being placed to sixth for making a breaking in the stretch drive.
MacIsaac will again err on the side of post position in selecting Rose Run Quest in the Sunday afternoon feature top position.
“Rose Run Quest has been out of the top three once since Old Home Week and that includes an extended winning streak last month,” MacIsaac said. “After drawing outside in his last couple the rail could be the deciding factor today.”