CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. – The Atlantic Regional Driving Championship showdown is tonight at the Truro Raceway in Nova Scotia with all kinds of Island flavour.
The eight-driver contest gets underway at 6:30 p.m. at the Bible Hill, N.S., oval featuring eight races of the championship. The top two drivers by points in the competition will advance to the National Driving Championship in September in Ontario. The winner of the national gets to represent Canada at the World Driving Championship in Sweden in 2019, alongside defending World Driving Champion James MacDonald, a native of Kingston, P.E.I.
The Atlantic Regional Driving Championship features top Island drivers Marc Campbell, Jason Hughes, Ken Murphy and Gilles Barrieau. Also in the event is the Nova Scotia team of Darren Crowe, John Gerard Kennedy and Redmond Doucet along with Todd Trites of New Brunswick.
The Friday Truro card will be broadcasts at www.Redshores.ca.
P.E.I. Scene
After leaving red soil over a year ago, Big Surf is back in Charlottetown.
The now seven-year-old son of Somebeachsomewhere has been re-acquired by former owner Perry Burke of Grosse-Ile., Que., and is back in the stable of trainer Trevor Hicken. A winner of 21 races and $143,000 in purses, Big Surf was a top free-for-aller on the East Coast in 2015 and 2016, including a track record performance at Truro Raceway in the 2015 Exhibition Cup.
The pacer also has the dubious distinction of pacing the fastest mile ever in a Gold Cup and Saucer trial (1:51.4) that did not earn him a spot in the final, finishing fifth.
Big Surf was sold to U.S. interests in October of 2016 and has been racing in New York and Pennsylvania. His most recent outings were in claiming events at The Meadows in Pennsylvania, where he has not finished better than fifth in six months. Big Surf was entered to qualify Thursday evening at Red Shores at the Charlottetown Driving Park.
Across The Continent
Saturday at Mohegan Sun Pocono in Pennsylvania, Kingston native Anthony MacDonald has rail control in the $500,000 Earl Beal Jr. Memorial with Lawmaker for trainer Andrew Harris. The three-year-old son of Muscle Massive was third in his elimination last week and sports $166,000 in career earnings for MacDonald’s fractional ownership website Thestable.ca. The Beal Memorial is slated as Race 12 on the Pocono program with a 11:18 p.m. Atlantic post time with Lawmaker at 15-1 morning line odds.
Nick’s Picks
Saturday at 6 p.m. at Red Shores at the Charlottetown Driving Park:
Race 1 – Tobins Lightning
Race 2 – Rockys World
Race 3 – Outstanding Payday
Race 4 – Prince Adam
Race 5 – Red Magician
Race 6 – Easy DC Does It
Race 7 – Dixie Flyer
Race 8 – Weekend Atnannies
Race 9 – Ramblinglily
Race 10 – Jetta Flys
Race 11 – In Spades
Race 12 – Harbourlite Jerry
Nicholas Oakes' column appears in The Guardian each Friday. He can be reached at [email protected].
