Setting the scene
Governor’s Plate eliminations go Sunday afternoon
It is nearly time to be off and racing at Red Shores at the Summerside Raceway.
Governor’s Plate week starts Sunday at the Prince County oval with two top-notch eliminations headlining the afternoon card with a 1 p.m. start time.
The first $5,000 elimination goes in Race 10 and has defending champ D G’s Camme shouldered with Post 8 for driver Gilles Barrieau and trainer Jackie Matheson. A pair of recent returnees to the East Coast will look to upset the supposed favourite, as Mach It Big (Marc Campbell) has Post 3 and The Rev (Danny Romo) will leave from Post 7. Mach It Big, who is owned by Mikaela Lustic of Cornwall, was racing in Ontario for trainer Jonah Moase, winning in 1:52.4 already this year at Woodbine. His last start was a fourth-place finish at Mohawk Raceway in a $20,000 claimer.
The Rev is a former Maritime stakes star, as the five-year-old son of Western Paradise battled Forever Paradise and Untouchable One during his Maritime stint of 2012-13.
In 2015, the pacer is hitting his best stride, as he was a winner June 20 at Mohawk in 1:50.3 for trainer Gregg McNair, and made it a two-race win streak last week at Truro Raceway for trainer-driver Romo with a 1:57.2 victory for owner Jeffrey Skinner of Nova Scotia.
The first elimination also includes Outside The Wire (Todd Trites), JRs Hurricane (Mike Stevenson), All Turain (Corey MacPherson), Im Drinkin Doubles (Marc Whebby) and Narragansett ( Jason Hughes).
The second elimination lines up in Race 12 with a heavyweight in the field in newcomer R Caan for driver Terry Gallant, trainer Earl Watts and owners Allard Racing of Quebec and Rene Allard of Pennsylvania.
The six-year-old son of Four Starzzz Shark has been racing in the U.S. for trainer Rene Allard and was a fifth-place finisher on June 27 at Pocono Downs in 1:52.1. You may remember R Caan in the 2013 Gold Cup and Saucer going possibly the biggest trip in the history of the race, laying parked out by Up The Credit in 26.2, 53.2 and 1:21.4 before finishing third to Escape The News and still pacing his mile in 1:51.3 for driver Jason Ryan.
Also in the second elimination are Waterside Light (Kenny Arsenault), Perfect Escape (Barrieau), Oh To Be Me (Gary Chappell), Si Semalu (Hughes), Big Surf (Campbell), Machinthesand (Norris Rogers) and Fortune Playboy (Brett MacDonald).
Governor’s Plate week continues every night with racing at 7 p.m. Monday features the aged pacing mares and Atlantic Sires Stakes for two-year-old pacing fillies, while the two- and threeyeartrotters take to the track Tuesday in ATSS action. The twoyear-old pacing colts battle on Wednesday in the ATSS, with three-year-old pacing fillies in sires stakes action Thursday and three-year-old pacing colts featured on Friday.