Rise and shine, race fans
Morning card in Charlottetown today; invitational stars converge in Summerside Sunday
After a late-charging break in stride last week, Traces Of Purple will look to knock off the best mares in the region on a special Saturday morning program today at Red Shores at the Charlottetown Driving Park.
Due to impending weather coming to the region, the card has a 11:30 a.m. first-race post time and the top mares will meet in Race 7 in the $2,700 fillies and mares open pace.
Traces Of Purple will leave from Post 1 in the contest with Walter Cheverie back in the bike for owner-trainer Robert Phillips of Belfast. The fiveyear-old daughter of Brandons Cowboy was making a late surge in the stretch drive a week ago and rolled off stride before the finish to end up third. The winner from that race, Sodwana Bay, is not entered today but runner-up Jordies Hope leaves from Post 5 with David Dowling in the bike. The Brian Lander-trained Jordies Hope has five seasonal scores, including a 1:54.4 best in Summerside.
West River Ambyr has Post 2 in the field of six with regular driver Steven Shepherd at the lines with the mare only missing one cheque in 16 outings this year.
Race analyst Les MacIsaac will side with the rail-sitter for the top spot.
“Traces Of Purple has been a model of consistency all year sporting a top-three record, north of 80 per cent, and that’s against the best mares in the region,” MacIsaac said. “Landing on the pylons will make her hard to deny.”
The field also includes Driving the dragon N (Jason Hughes), Innocent Kiss (Adam Merner) and Collective Wisdom (Dale Spence).
The top purse of the night is in the Race 11 preferred 2 pace for a $2,850 pot. IC True Grit is the morning-line choice with Mike McGuigan driving for trainer Jackie Matheson and owners Joey Gallant and Ingham Jenkins of Charlottetown. Other top entries include Red Magician (Merner) and JJ Powerball (Gordie Hennessey).
SUMMERSIDE
An off-Island scorcher will take on a Gold Cup and Saucer finalist Sunday at Red Shores at the Summerside Raceway.
The 12-dash card is scheduled for a 1 p.m. start with a $4,000 invitational pace slated for Race 11. Euchred demolished all comers last time out in the top class at Truro Raceway in Nova Scotia with a 15-length romp in 1:53.3 for trainer Walter Walker and owner Kayla Habicht Walker of Inverness, N.S.
David Dowling gets the catch driving call on Sunday from Post 3 but Euchred will have some tough customers to contend with. Lisburn finished third in the $60,000 The Guardian Gold Cup and Saucer last month and followed it up with a preferred win last week. Kenny Arsenault will drive his trainee from Post 4 as the morning-line favourite.
James (Roach) MacGregor Gold Cup and Saucer consolation runner-up Rose Run Quest has Post 2 in the field after a third-place finish in the preferred pace last week. Marc Campbell will drive the pacer from his own barn this week.
The compact field also has Best To Hurst (Cheverie) and Bugsy Maguire (Hughes).
The $2,600 back-up pace hits the track in Race 8 with Mando Fun controlling the rail with Gilles Barrieau in the bike for co-owner and trainer Paul Biggar of Tyne Valley and co-owner Donald Callbeck of Kensington. The six-year-old son of Badlands Hanover has been amassing another solid season and was a runner-up last time he drew the rail to the then hottest horse in Prince County, Dangle Ona Dime. Those pacers will meet again Sunday with Dangle Ona Dime drawing Post 5 with Ken Murphy in the seat for trainer Duane MacEachern. Mantario had been racing the best horses in the region but drops a notch to be heralded as the morning-line favourite with Arsenault driving from Post 4.
For more information on the Sunday afternoon race program and storm updates go to www. Redshores.ca. or follow Red Shores on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.