Bettim Jackie beats rival
Royaltywestho gets another shot tonight at Mohawk
A pair of Maritime champions went head-to-head at Canada’s premier racetrack Saturday evening and Bettim Jackie saw herself come out on top.
Island-bred fillies and yearlong competitors Bettim Jackie and Royaltywestho squared off in a $19,000 overnight class at Woodbine Mohawk Park in Campbellville, Ont., with the former prevailing in 1:53 for driver Sylvain Filion and trainer Dave Daigneault. The three-year-old daughter of Andreoli Hanover hit the wire first in a 23-1 upset for Island owners Jeff Lilley of Milton and Blair MacLauchlan of Charlottetown, who share ownership with Danny Purcell of Newport, N.S.
Bettim Jackie and Royaltywestho spared all season in Atlantic Canadian stakes action before landing in competition in Central Canada. Royaltywestho was dominant the first part of the season with five straight wins in stakes action, including the $22,100 Maritime Breeder’s final. That streak was cut short Governor’s Plate week by Bettim Jackie before that filly took to dominating the division the latter part of the season.
Bettim Jackie would go on to set a record for Maritime-bred three-year-olds as she eclipsed $100,000 in seasonal earnings to put her ahead of former record holder Oceanview Bindi, who earned just shy of $100,000 in her three-year-old season in 2012 racing in Ontario. Saturday’s win puts Bettim Jackie at $110,323 in purse winnings for the year.
She is entered to race again this evening at Mohawk in Race 9 where she will again tangle with Royaltywestho.
P.E.I. Scene
The annual Paul MacDonald Memorial Driver’s Challenge will be the highlight of the Saturday afternoon program at Red Shores at the Charlottetown Driving Park (CDP) as the capital oval switches to racing once a week.
The 14-dash card kicks off at 12:30 p.m. as part of Horseperson’s Day sponsored by the P.E.I. Standardbred Horse Owner’s Association. The driver’s challenge features eight competitors driving in eight dashes on the card.
Those challenge events will go to the starting gate in Races 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12 and 13 with top dash winners Adam Merner, Gilles Barrieau, Corey MacPherson and David Dowling in on the action.
Qualifying statistics were combined to include results from the CDP and Red Shores at the Summerside Raceway this year up until the end of October.
Kenny Arsenault and Mike McGuigan are in the challenge qualifying for top average with more than 75 drives while the 40-75 driving average category has Ron Matheson and Ambyr Campbell this year.
Leading CDP driver Marc Campbell was asked to participate but is in the U.S. on vacation this weekend.
Harbourlite Jerry scored a memorable moment for the Shepherd family of Stratford on last Saturday’s program.
When trainer Harold Shepherd steered the seven-year-old son of Jeremes Jet to victory for owner Ralph Jardine of Ontario, he became the fourth member of the Shepherd clan to visit the winner’s circle with the pacer, as all three of his sons have also won races behind the horse.
Eldest son Robert Shepherd first won with the horse at Western Fair Raceway in London, Ont., in 2014.
Harold’s youngest son Patrick Shepherd steered the horse to the wire first at Hanover Raceway in Ontario in June 2017 before Harbourlite Jerry came to P.E.I. later that year where middle boy Steven Shepherd has driven him to multiple wins.
A rare feat that no one in the family will forget.