Fred MacDonald
The question going into this evening’s card is whether Ramblinglily can re-establish her fillies and mares open dominance or if Sodwana Bay will remain undefeated at Red Shores at the Charlottetown Driving Park.
The 12-dash program begins at 6 p.m. with the fillies and mares open pace hitting the track in Race 9 for a $2,350 pot.
Sodwana Bay has drawn Post 5 in the contest with Gilles Barrieau training and driving the mare for owners Wayne MacRae of Fall River, N.S., and Howmac Farms Ltd., of North Wiltshire.
The five-year-old daughter of No Pan Intended has hit the winner’s circle in both tries since relocating to Prince Edward Island with the fastest trip in 1:55.3, while defeating reigning champion Ramblinglily both times. Ramblinglily has Post 6 this week for driver Gary Chappell and trainer Allan Jones of New Brunswick.
“Sodwana Bay is undefeated since coming to the Island and until something steps up and knocks the crown off the queen,” race analyst Les MacIsaac said, “We’ll have to stay on her bandwagon.”
The preferred pace hits the track in Race 11 with In Spades looking for redemption after a fifth-place finish in his much-anticipated East Coast debut. Austin Sorrie is back in the driver’s seat from Post 4 this week for owner Walter Simmons of Summerside after coming east from a profitable winter racing season in Ontario.
Rose Run Quest scored the upset against this group last week and gets Post 3 in tonight’s $2,500 race for trainer-driver Marc Campbell and owner Blair Hansen of Charlottetown.
The Governor’s Plate decade of champion celebration continues on Canada Day Sunday at Red Shores at the Summerside Raceway.
The 13-dash card begins at 1 p.m.
The Race 12 preferred pace has $2,500 on the line while honouring the Governor’s Plate winners from 1981-1990 with connections of those horses invited out to the winner’s circle.
The celebration continues with a decade honoured each time leading up to the 50th running of the Governor’s Plate final on July 14. Fast N Victorious will look for another victory Sunday in the preferred pace in a bid to punch his ticket to a Governor’s Plate Invitation next week.
Adam Merner drives the son of Art Major for trainer Stephen Gass and owners Kent Livingston of Cornwall and Wade MacDonald of Stanhope.
The pacer leaves from Post 4, fresh off a 1:56 victory over Summerside last Sunday.
Cartoon Daddy aims to be a main contender in the preferred pace, drawing the rail after last racing in the Cecil Ladner Memorial Invitational.
Dale Spence gets the catchdriving call for trainer Rachel Andrew and owner Brian Andrew of Milton and William Andrew of Calgary.
The Canada Day pace lines up in Race 10 with Old Buck favoured off the rail with Hughes in the seat in the $1,900 contest.
Trainer and owner Alan MacDonald of Summerside has won this staple of Canada Day racing previously and will look to add to Old Buck’s two-race win streak Sunday. Other top entries include J Rs Hurricane (Arsenault) and Rash B Havior (Mike Peters).
Compiled by Nicholas Oakes for Red Shores.
As soon as Perfect Escape established himself with the lead it was lights out on the Thursday evening feature at Red Shores at the Charlottetown Driving Park.
Gilles Barrieau guarded his Post 1 position with Perfect Escape off the gate in the $2,200 race, laying down unchallenged fractions of 28.3, 57.2 and 1:26.1 before drawing clear by five
Allan Andrews, who looks like he could still play competitive noon hockey at UPEI, is closing in on the 40th anniversary of the hockey school that bears his name and he is still going strong.
Andrews Hockey Growth Programs is now in full swing for the summer months and from now until mid-September, the hockey camp will have seen about 2,500 youngsters from more than 20 countries graduate from various skill programs.
If you multiply the hockey development graduates by the number of parents, grandparents and family that visit P.E.I. because of the camps, the number of people that come here as a result of the school is astonishing. I can imagine the positive impact it has on the bottom line at the UPEI campus as many of the attendees stay on campus, which is usually empty in the summer months. Many attendees stay in and around the city and they spend money – try finding a modest hotel room in this city in July and August.
I dropped by the Andrews facility at the Bell Aliant Centre last weekend to drop a puck to officially open an international game in front of a big cast of hockey scouts from university and other post-secondary institutions. The schools from Ohio, New York, New Jersey and all the Canadian provinces had representatives at booths in the foyer manned by individuals with high people skills — just the kind you would expect to see at the point of first contact, it was eye opening.
Many of the finest schools in the world, places like Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, Stanford, the University of Toronto, McGill, Queens and more have pictures and profiles of their most distinguished graduates somewhere prominent on campus. The Andrews program also has pictures of their prominent graduates on display and they include Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon and Brad Marchand, unquestionably three of the top five hockey players in the world today. There is no doubting the reality Andrews Hockey is a world leader in hockey development. The glowing letters of recommendation from graduates like Crosby speak volumes about the program and about Allan Andrews. lengths to score in 1:55.3.
Tobinator (Corey MacPherson) sat in the pocket to finish second while Nogreatmischief (Walter Cheverie) completed the triactor.
Perfect Escape is trained by Jackie Matheson for owners Jack Keenan of Stratford and Joseph Dahl of Burlington, Ont.
Freddie put together a narrow Fiddler’s Facts
I have often mentioned to fellow companions how impressed I am with how well many of today’s hockey stars handle the media in the one-on-one interviews. They always seem to say the right things, especially Sidney and Nathan. To my surprise, it is not just hockey skills that are taught at Andrews Hockey Growth, but communication and leadership skills are also part of the advanced curriculum. If Allan and his group ever get tired of hockey, they could perhaps become a finishing school for many of our politicians.
Andrews Hockey Growth Programs employ something like 100 people during the peak summer months as well as full-time directors Josh Andrews, Jason Malone, Brad MacKenzie, Colin Webster and Paul Drew. The camps are run here on Prince Edward Island year-round and, in addition, satellite camps are conducted in Switzerland, Norway, Newfoundland, Iqaluit and other Maritime locations.
“Although we are in the hockey development skills business, we are also concerned about building better citizens,” Andrews said. “I’d think this is another reason graduates like Crosby, MacKinnon and our own Adam McQuaid are quick to recommend this hockey school to others.”
If you are looking for something to do during the next two months, visit the Andrews Hockey Growth Programs drop in for a visit, you victory in the $1,950 open trot from his assigned Post 7. Marc Campbell was in the bike for the neck decision in 2:01.1 over Holy Molie Maggie (Cheverie) and Isabella Hanover (Adam Merner).
Freddie is owned by Three Wisemen Stable of Kingston, who also won with Keepcalmndanceon in 1:59.1 with trainerdriver Campbell. may even see one of your NHL stars watching what’s happening.
The Charlottetown Junior Islanders are back in action today at Memorial Field in a twinbill against the Fredericton Royals in New Brunswick Junior Baseball League play. The Islanders swept Saint John Alpines last week to improve to 7-7 on the season.
Josh Myers lead the way offensively last weekend with support from Chasse Gallant, Elijah Hood and Kyle Pinksen. Today’s first pitch is at noon.
Adam Binkley sends word the Boys and Girls of Summerside Club Celebrity Dinner goes on Monday, July 16, at the Wellness Centre in Summerside. Besides NHL coach of the year Gerard Gallant, the growing list of celebrities includes ex-Bruins great Rick Middleton, Pete Mahovlich, George Chuvalo, Philadelphia Eagles great Brian Westbrook and TSN broadcaster Natasha Staniszewski.
The auction items include many autographed vintage jerseys of veterans like Bill MacMillan and Al MacAdam plus many others. The three-day event starts Sunday, July 15, and concludes with the golf on Tuesday. Live harness racing continues tonight at 6 p.m. at the city track
Driver Adam Merner tripled up on the evening, winning with Innocent Kiss in 2:00.2 for trainer Melissa Rennie of Charlottetown, Dustylanejazz in 2:02.2 for Stephen Gass of Cornwall and Professor Gordon in a 2:00.4 trot mile for Deanna Clow of New Haven.
Compiled by Nicholas Oakes for Red Shores. with a 12-dash card.
The $2,500 open has last week’s winner Rose Run Quest against Czar Seelster, In Spades and Euchred with Heart and Soul at the rail and Keep Coming next. It’s a tough field.
The $2,350 open mares is another tough class but newcomer Sodwana Bay from Post 5 looks like the favourite. This mare is co-owned by Wayne MacRae and Howmac Farms and she’s been sharp since shipping here from Ontario, including a win in 1:55:3 at Summerside and in 1:56 and change here last week. This ownership duo has been hot of late, Twomacsoneshadow scored in 1:53 and change at Yonkers on Wednesday for Mark MacDonald, Howmacfiesty bred by the same duo was third beaten a neck in 1:53:2 in the $10,500 top class at Georgian in a race won by Charlottetown’s Jason Ryana with Pretty Hot. Also, two-year-old trotter Darlington Hall (Angus Hall) was very sharp in qualifying in 2:01:4, with the last quarter in 28 flat.
At Mohawk tonight, Easy Lover Hanover and Ellis Park look the best in the $34,000 open. A huge card at Pocono tonight, Lawmaker and Anthony MacDonald have the rail in the $500,000 Earl Beal Memorial where unbeaten Manchego is the heavy favourite. In the $500,000 Max Hempt memorial, Lather Up has Post 7, but he looks like the best.
At Yonkers, New York, Great Vintage (Mark MacDonald) has Post 4 in the six-horse $44,000 open handicap.
Veteran Harry Poulton, who trains many of the TheStable. Ca’s owned Ontario sire stakeseligible babies was in the winner’s circle Thursday with freshman trotter White Tiger, who won easily in 1:59:1 and appears to have a bright future.
Fred MacDonald’s column appears in The Guardian each Saturday. He can be reached at fiddlersfacts@hotmail.com.