Fifth And Five equals track record in $100,000 Gold Cup And Saucer

CHARLOTTETOWN, PE – For Mark McKinnon and harness racing driver Jody Jamieson, a lifetime of dreaming culminated under the lights Saturday evening as Fifth And Five captured the 67th edition of the $100,000 Atlantic Lottery Gold Cup and Saucer at Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park.

Jamieson mapped out a perfect pocket trip from post 9 before guiding Fifth And Five past stablemate Sugar Man in the final strides to equal the 1:49.4 track record.

Sugar Man and driver Doug McNair controlled the race from the rail while Jordy N (Driven by Jason Ryan) applied pressure on the outside. Fifth And Five settled third along the pylons through fractions of :27.2, :55.4 and 1:22.2.

Jordy N began to retreat going to three-quarters and Sugar Man carried the field into the stretch before Fifth And Five ($8.70) angled out and surged to the lead in the shadow of the wire.

Timeisonmyside (Anthony MacDonald) produced a furious :26.3 closing quarter along the pylons to finish second by half a length while Sugar Man held third in the three-horse photo. Ammo (Marc Campbell) finished fourth.

FIFTH AND FIVE REPLAY

The 1:49.4 mile matched the Charlottetown track record established by Miki Shan N in the 2025 Premier’s Cup Final.

“I’m beside myself,” Jamieson said in the winner’s circle. “I literally can’t believe I won the Gold Cup and Saucer. This is the culmination of a whole life of driving horses and being in the horse business. Everybody wants to win this race.”

The victory completed a full-circle moment for Jamieson, whose father, Carl, won the Gold Cup and Saucer with Banner Yankee. Jamieson had once planned to drive Banner Yankee in the final in 2006 but returned to Ontario, only to have that night’s races cancelled because of a power outage.

“I’ve told anybody who would listen that my favourite win of my career was my dad winning with Banner Yankee in the Gold Cup and Saucer,” Jamieson said. “Now my favourite win is me winning the Gold Cup and Saucer with Fifth And Five.”

Jody and Carl Jamieson are the second father-son duo to win the race after Ian and Tyler Moore both drove Gold Cup and Saucer winners.

Jamieson admitted the race carried a different level of pressure despite his victories in some of harness racing’s most prestigious events, including the North America Cup and Little Brown Jug.

“I was nervous,” Jamieson said. “I wanted to win so badly. I knew I had to follow Doug (McNair) around the first turn, and if I could do that and keep up, I would give myself a chance to win.”

Jamieson remained unsure of the outcome until Fifth And Five straightened into the stretch and began to accelerate.

“I popped the plugs going into the last turn, and then it was an all-out sprint to the wire,” Jamieson said. “When I moved him over and got him straightened out, I could feel him surging ahead. I felt like I was going to win about halfway down the stretch.”

For McKinnon, who grew up in Prince Edward Island before establishing himself with the Dave Menary stable in Ontario, the victory fulfilled a dream he had carried since childhood.

“Every day, really,” McKinnon said when asked how often he had imagined the moment. “Every day you wake up, and it has always been the dream to race in this race. From the moment I first touched my first racehorse, this was the one you wanted.”

McKinnon has been part of major victories throughout North America with Team Menary but said nothing compared to winning the Gold Cup and Saucer in front of family and friends.

“Just look around,” McKinnon said. “You don’t see this anywhere else — this winner’s circle, your family and friends, everybody is here. This is what it’s all about. It doesn’t get any better than this.”

McKinnon entered the final with two of the top choices in Fifth And Five and Sugar Man, with the stablemates finishing first and third.

“I loved the way this horse trained this week, and he just seemed extra sharp coming into it,” McKinnon said of Fifth And Five. “I was very confident turning for home, seeing him sitting in the two-hole. I knew we had a good shot with either Sugar Man hanging on or this guy sprinting out of the hole.”

McKinnon also savoured sharing the victory with Jamieson, a fellow East Coaster who he previously worked for during his career.

“He’s one of the best to do it,” McKinnon said. “I worked for him for a period of time, and we’re great friends. For both of us to get our first Gold Cup and Saucer, it’s a true honour to be involved with Jody. He’s a world driving champion and one of the best.”

McKinnon credited owner Pollack Racing LLC of Venetia, Pennsylvania, along with Dave Menary, for making the homecoming possible.

“They made this happen,” McKinnon said. “I can never thank them enough for this opportunity. It’s amazing for them to send these two calibre of horses out here for me. I’ll be forever grateful.”

The four-year-old son of Bettors Delight is owned by Pollack Racing and was bred by Darryl Kaplan, Roy Sproxton and Harbhajan Singh Dhillon.

The Gold Cup victory completed a driving triple for Jamieson, who also won with Pauls Crown ($8) in 1:54 for trainer Stanley Harper and The Tulsa King ($3.60) in 1:54.4 for trainer Mike McGuigan.

Campbell recorded four victories on the evening program to set a new Old Home Week win record with 34 victories and win the Francis MacIsaac Memorial Award for top driver of the week. He won with Starship Glyde ($7.60) in 1:51.4 for trainer Earl Watts, Chikaboom ($3.10) in 1:55.1 for Harold Duguay, Shanghai Whiskey ($3.50) in 1:53.4 for Wade Myers and Bohannon ($4) in 1:57 for Carson Wilkie.

Shanghai Whiskey captured the first $26,200 Joe O’Brien Memorial Gold division for three-year-old pacing colts by three-quarters of a length over Cattle Call (Gilles Barrieau). Goose Commander (Jason Hughes) was third.

The other $26,200 Joe O’Brien Memorial Gold division went to Zero Two Sixty ($3.40) and driver David Dowling in 1:55.1 for trainer Sifroi Melanson. Woodmere Mahomes (Barrieau) finished second with Windemere Britt (Paul Langille) third.

Miraculous Desbi N ($4.60) won the $15,000 P.E.I. Harness Racing Industry Association Invitational on the afternoon program for driver Louis-Philippe Roy and trainer Jacques Dupont. The New Zealand-bred pacer stopped the clock in 1:52.1, defeating Get Wings (Campbell) by half a length. Storm Shadow (Mike Downey) completed the triactor.

The afternoon Joe O’Brien Memorial Grassroots divisions were won by Bet On Evil ($4.70) and Dowling in 1:56 for trainer Jennifer Doyle, Blazing Cays ($2.60) and trainer-driver Darren Crowe in 1:56 and Tobins Nibbler ($14.10) with Hughes in 1:55.2 for trainer Ashley Gamester.

Oceanview Banjo ($7.40) won the $4,550 Claybourne Memorial Trot in 2:00.1 for driver Corey MacPherson, trainer George Rennison and owner Rennison Racing Inc. of Truro, N.S.

Hughes completed an evening driving triple with Fight Song ($7.50) in the $8,000 Colonel Dan Trot for trainer Gamester. The Kadabra gelding controlled every fraction before winning by three-and-a-half lengths in 1:54.4. Hughes also won the $10,000 Premier’s Pace with Bee Two Bee ($3.60) in 1:54.2 for Gamester and the top mares class with Badgirl Bridgette ($4.50) in 1:52.4 for trainer William Lanigan. Badgirl Bridgette’s mile stamped her as the fastest Atlantic Bred Mare ever on the Eastern Seabord, eclipsing the 1:53.1 set by Woodmere Skyroller and Sensational Gal

Other evening winners were Moonwriter ($7.80) and Brady Sweet in 1:57.1, Rollwithitdarling ($27.70) and Langille in 1:56.3, Rose Run X Con ($11) and Anthony MacDonald in 1:53.1 for trainer Nicholas Oakes, Brokeandoutofgas ($4.70) and Roy in 1:53.2 and Captain Tate ($5.70) and Adam Merner in 1:54.2.

The afternoon winners also included Shadow Roman ($4.40) and Campbell in 1:57, Ur Not Catching Me ($10.50) and trainer-driver McGuigan in 1:57.2, West Coast Kid ($10.90) and Langille in 1:57.4, Redland Peaches ($4.60) and trainer-driver MacPherson in 1:57, and D A Galloway ($3.80) and Brett MacDonald in 1:57.2 for trainer Ralph Sweet.

A total of $661,429 was wagered over the Gold Cup Day doubleheader, including $573,120 on the evening program and $88,309 during the afternoon card.

Live racing continues at Red Shores Summerside Tuesday at 6 P.M.

For more go to Redshores.ca.

To view Saturday’s harness racing results, click the following link: Saturday Results – Charlottetown Driving Park.

by Nicholas Oakes, for Red Shores