Matheson returns to sulky on tonight’s CDP card

Ron Matheson is back tonight at Red Shores at the Charlottetown Driving Park after missing 126 days of racing.

First race post time is 6 p.m. for the 13-dash card with the personable Matheson seeing a return to action in Race 5 aboard Artners In Crime from Post 4 for trainer and son Jackie Matheson.

The elder Matheson drove the first two dates when racing resumed in April in Charlottetown but then suffered a leg injury in the race paddock before a qualifier on May 6.

A winner of 1,080 races lifetime as driver along with $1.2 million in purses, Matheson has been a frequent leading percentage driver in Charlottetown and past winner of the Acorn Memorial and Paul MacDonald Memorial trophy for top driver on Horseperson’s Day.

Matheson will also drive Starcastic from Post 3 in Race 8’s $2,100 back-up pace where Eagle Jolt (driven by Marc Campbell) is the morning line favourite. Four Corners will complete Matheson’s trio of drives in Race 13 while shouldered with Post 8.

The Saturday evening feature will see Adkins Hanover defend his ranking of morning line favourite from Post 5 in the $2,400 event. Corey MacPherson drives the Trevor Hicken trainee against a very deep field of pacers. Caracci Hanover (Jason Hughes) has been impressive since relocating to the East Coast for conditioner Jennifer Trainor while his stablemate Mr Irresistible has Post 7 with Ken Murphy catch-driving.

Sunday

Good post position can cure a lot of ailments and after a quartet of outer posts Rash B Havior will be able to determine his own fate in the afternoon feature on a special Labour Day Monday card at Red Shores at the Summerside Raceway.

The 13-dash card kicks off at 1 p.m. with Rash B Havior leaving off the rail in the Race 12 feature carrying a $2,100 purse. Owned and trained by Mike Peters of Emyvale, Rash B Havior has not drawn inside of five in his last four outings but still managed a pair of wins to give him four on the season with a 2017 mark of 1:56.2. Campbell gets the catchdriving call in the afternoon top class as the seven-year-old son of Lis Mara faces off with five rivals. Old Buck has Post 2 with Gary Chappell getting the call to sit in the bike for trainer Alan MacDonald, as regular pilot Jason Hughes has to drive his own trainee, Post 6 starter Narragansett. Hughes was a winner in 1:57.2 in Old Buck’s latest outing.