The Maritimer stake was the only race of the year that had eliminations and finals on the same card with horses racing twice within a couple of hours. The Barrieau McIsaac stake called for the same format at Exhibition Park Raceway but there were only enough horses for one race.
Kinda Like Her won her Maritimer $6,738 elimination off a pocket ride in 2:01 for driver Kenny Arsenault and trainer Sean Dooley of New Brunswick. The other elimination was won by Southfield Sue in 2:00.4 with Gilles Barrieau in the bike for trainer, co-owner and P.E.I. track announcer Vance Cameron, who co-owns with Southfield Farms of Summerside.
Three races later, Kinda Like Her was victorious again in the $8,984 Maritimer final for Arsenault. Southfield Sue was aggressive from the word ‘Go,’ laying down fractions of 28.2 and 59.2 from Post 1 with Kinda Like Her sitting on that filly's back. Three-quarters were reached in 1:29.4 with Kinda Like Her abandoning her two-hole ride and hitting the wire in 2:00.1.
Woodmere Finesse (driven by Danny Romo) was second with Tobins Secret (Todd Trites) third, Articulate Barb (Gary Chappell) fourth and fifth place going to Southfield Sue.
The port city oval played hosted to other action with the Williamson Memorial stakes for two-year-old pacers. Saulsbrook Coral (Trites) captured a $5,500 division for two-year-old filly pacers in 2:01.2 for trainer Earl Watts and owner Daniel Ross of Belfast. Ross had a sweep of the filly divisions, as he also owns Woodmere Chella, who was a 2:01.3 victor for trainer-driver Barrieau.
Watts visited the winner's circle in a two-year-old colt Williamson division with Oceanview Magnum winning in 1:59 with Trites in the bike for owners Harris Johnston and John Howatt of Charlottetown, Roger Burns of North Rustico and Claude Poirier of Quebec.
Junebugs Baby captured the $4,500 Milton Downey Memorial in the afternoon finale with Myles Heffernan banging out the mile in 28.4, 59.3, 1:29 and 1:59. Heffernan trains the son of Western Paradise for wife and owner Jackie Heffernan. Second went to His Boy Elroy (Bernard McCallum) with Fall Bliss (Dr. Mitchell Downey) third.
Maritime Scene
The three-year-old pacing colts were at Inverness Raceway in Nova Scotia Sunday afternoon for Atlantic Sires Stakes action.
Trainer Robert Phillips of South Pinette won the lion's share of the action with a 1:59.4 victory for JJ Tanner in a $10,100 A division with Romo in the bike. The three-year-old son of Articulator is owned by Phillips along with Kevin Harvey of Hammonds Plains, N.S. The ownership group also won the $2,500 B division as Redwhiteandboots was a 2:00.2 victor for driver Barrieau.
Nick's Picks
Saturday at 6 p.m. at Red Shores at the Charlottetown Driving Park:
Race 1 - Laughing Terror
Race 2 - Doublejacksandaces
Race 3 - Jetta Flys
Race 4 - Miramichi David
Race 5 - Thebestofme
Race 6 - Silverhill Buddy
Race 7 - IDK
Race 8 - Dial The Bossman
Race 9 - Give Em Heck
Race 10 - Prettyndangerous
Race 11 - Eagle Jolt
Race 12 - Twin B Shadow
Race 13 - Caracci Hanover
Race 14 - Red Magician
Nicholas Oakes' column appears in The Guardian each Friday. He can be reached at [email protected].
