CHARLOTTETOWN, PE – The 2016 Atlantic Canadian Stakes season comes to a close Saturday evening at Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park and a pair of three-year-old colts will battle for the upper hand as they fight for the last piece of the harness racing Atlantic Triple Crown.
First race post time is 6 p.m. for the 14-dash card with Beaus Cowboy and Heart And Soul ending their Atlantic stakes careers in the race 13 Island Breeder's Final for a $11,000 purse. Heart And Soul captured the Maritime Breeder's Final earlier in the season to give earn himself the first leg of the Atlantic Triple Crown for three-year-old pacing colts, then Beaus Cowboy became hot late in the season to win the Atlantic Breeder's Crown final earlier this month. The Island Breeder's Final is the last leg and Beaus Cowboy will ride a five-race win streak into post 4 with Adam Merner driving for trainer Ron Gass and owner Alex MacPhee of Clyde River. Heart And Soul gets post 5 in the eight horse field with trainer Clare MacDonald in the bike for owners Earith and George Riley of Kensington.
Race 11 has the three-year-old pacing filly Island Breeder's Final for a $11,000 purse with an evenly matched field of eight with post 8 starter All About Madi given the early nod with Gary Chappell in the bike for trainer Leith Waite.
The $11,000 two-year-old pacing finals are in races 7 and 9.
Race 7 has Filly Forty Seven continuing her quest for the Atlantic Triple Crown for two-year-old pacing fillies with Marc Campbell in the bike from post 4.
Complete Player received a more favorable draw being given the rail in his $11,000 two-year-old pacing colt Island Breeder's Final in race 9. Mark Bradley drives for trainer Tom Weatherbie.
The three-year-old trotting Island Breeder's Final lines up in race 5 for a $7,500 pot as Oceanview Pancho looks to extend his three race win streak with Corey MacPherson driving for Paul Larrabee.
The two-year-old trotters are divided by gender with a field of five trotting fillies competing in their $5,000 Island Breeder's Final in race 1. Mary Leah is favoured in that split with Danny MacDonald training and driving.
Race 3 has the $5,000 two-year-old trotting colt Island Breeder's Final with the rivalry renewed between Wicked Nick (Chappell) and Pappy Go Go (Campbell) in the field of six.
The top pacers in East Coast racing face off in race 12 for a $2,550 purse as D Gs Camme (Gilles Barrieau), Big Surf (MacPherson) and Smiley Bayama (Merner) face off with top mares Ramblinglily (Ken Murphy) and Drivingthedragon N (Jason Hughes).
Campbell, Hughes Battle To The Wire Again
SUMMERSIDE, PE – The Dash Title is up for grabs at Red Shores at the Summerside Raceway and drivers Marc Campbell, Jason Hughes and Ken Murphy are sure to make it interesting in the final program of the season at the Prince County Oval.
The 13-dash program gets underway at 1 p.m. with Campbell topping the leaderboard with 35 wins this season, followed by Hughes with 34 wins and Murphy with 32 visit's to the winner's circle. Campbell has 10 drives on the program including morning line favourite Instant Shadow from post 2 in race 4 for a $1,200 purse with Sifroi Melanson training the Summerside Raceway two-year-old track record holder for owners Ultimate Stable and Robert Kyle of New Brunswick. PC Shockwave is selected to be a Campbell winner in race 8 for owner-trainer Clair Sweet of O'Leary, fresh off a victory in the same class Thursday in Charlottetown.
Murphy has nine drives Sunday and is selected by classifier Gerard Smith to win two dashes on the day with Da Old Blu Meteor in race 2 for trainer Clarkie Smith and owner Everett Stewart of Charlottetown, and Baby Picka in race 3 for co-owner and trainer Fred Paynter of Stanley Bridge and co-owner Debbie and Neal Ramsay of Summerside.
Hughes will need everything to go right to close the one race gap and surge past Campbell to win the driving title. The Stratford resident has nine drives on the card including a winning selection with Rising Fella in race 5 for trainer Jansen Sweet, who co-owns with Allison Sweet, both of O'Leary and Susan Thomson of Roseville and Brody Ellis of Alberta. Hughes is also selected to win with a pair of his own trainees including Cambest Kisser with rail control in race 7 for owners Donald and Steven MacRae of Vernon Bridge and Ok Galahad in race 9 for owners Robi Hughes of Stratford and Foxyhall Racing of Nova Scotia.
The top pace of the day lines up in race 12 as Minor Wisdom has drawn the rail as she looks to continue her dominance against Prince County's best. The Kristina McCourt trainee will have Wade Sorrie back in the bike as the daughter of American Ideal searches to continue her four-race win streak in the $2,000 event.
The 2016 season will close out with the race 13 Isabelle and Ivan Cameron Memorial with gritty pacer All Turain favoured off the rail for driver Corey MacPherson, trainer Trevor Hicken and owner Lee Hicken of Charlottetown.
By Nicholas Oakes For Red Shores
