CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. – The Guardian Gold Cup and Saucer trials go tonight and Monday night at the historic Red Shores at the Charlottetown Driving Park.
The first four finishers in each trial advance to next Saturday’s $60,000 Gold Cup and Saucer, one of the great events in the world of harness racing.
There are very few tracks in the world more draped in history than our cathedral and the Gold Cup and Saucer is regarded as one of the great races on the North American calendar like the Hambletonian, the Little Brown, Jug, the Adios, the North American Cup, the Meadowlands Pace and the Breeders Crown events.
The climax of the 14-race cards during the 10-day period is the Gold Cup and Saucer, which will attract an audience, weather permitting, of about 15,000, the biggest draw in Canada and second only to the Jug in Delaware, Ohio, which on a good day will push 50,000 race fans into the Ohio State fairgrounds.
There will be people from all over Canada and the USA here for the race and another 100,000 or so watching around the globe focused on a race that means so much to so many. Ever since James (Roach) MacGregor first took in New England star Dr Harry C from Foxboro and Rockingham in the mid-1960s, top horses like the Whebby-owned Andys Son, Mike MacDonald’s Sandy Hanover, Ventall Rainbow and Pearl’s Falcon, Power Baron, Little Black Book, Native Born, Banner Yankee, Silent Swing, Sand Olls Dexter, Stonebridge Terror, Part Shark, Go Daddy Go, Eighteen, Bigtown Hero and Take It Back Terry have graced the winners circle surrounded by thousands of fans.
The outside horses have been the major draw for this race and it is the foundation upon which the race was built. I believe, in the very near future, this race will carry a purse of $100,000, which a race of this stature deserves.
Trial 1
Tonight’s Trial 1 has seven entries and it was indeed unfortunate the three Maritime-based horses, Rose Run Quest, Jackson K Down and Father of the Year, drew the outside.
Teesha Symes is trainer of Nova Scotia-owned Rockin In Heaven and this horse won his last start in 1:49:4 at Mohawk. Simon Allard’s Somewhere Fancy will be tough but so will trainer Patrick Shepherd’s Fool Me Once, a 1:48:1 winner with earnings of more $1 million. Patrick’s brother Robert is second in Canada in wins (220) and 10th in the nation in money earned, so do not overlook this talented brother trainer-driver duo.
Paparazzi Hanover has the rail for trainer Jodie Cullen and driver Travis and this is a great spot on a half-mile track.
Monday’s Trial 2 has seven horses with Maritime-based Czar Seelster and In Spades unfortunately drawing outside spots.
Always N the Money, Bet on Brett, Lincoln James, ASAP Hanover and Newbie all have licence to win but let’s not forget races are won on the race track not on paper. In last Saturday’s $1 million Hambletonian, the two heavy favourites in their trials, Wolfgang and Six Pack, came up empty and finished among the also rans.
There are a couple of new wrinkles for this year’s Gold Cup and Saucer.
The winning driver will receive the Michael MacDonald Award in memory of the driver who has won the event on five occasions. It’s a great touch to a very prestigious race.
Baseball
Organizers for last week’s national oldtimers baseball tournament, especially guys like Alf Blanchard, Dave MacIsaac and Ron Hennessey, have to be thrilled with the number of outside teams and how well everything fell in place.
I took in a number of the games at Memorial Field and the fans I talked with loved the experience. The guys were at the park, the wives and the rest of the family headed to the beach – it was much too hot. Downtown Charlottetown was jammed.
In Maritime baseball playoff action, MacIsaac’s Island junior team trail Chatham 2-1 in the best-of-five series. They were suppose to play Game 4 Friday night, but rain pushed the game back to tonight at 7:30 p.m. at Memorial Field.
Basketball
Island Storm vice-president Brett Poirier along with owner Duncan Shaw and head coach Tim Kendrick have been very active.
The National Basketball League of Canada squad finished 19-21 last season despite a rash of key injuries but was much improved from the previous year. The Storm has added ex-NBA Memphis Grizzlies forward Sampson Carter and also the former captain of the Michigan State Spartans, Russell Byrd.
Also, on the pro basketball front, Boston Celtics assistant coach Scotty Morrison is the guest speaker at the Annual Sportsmans Dinner in Morell on Aug. 18. The Celtics are a powerhouse NBA club, so Scott’s comments on the past season will be very interesting.
Hockey
Boston Bruins defenceman Adam McQuaid and Scott Harris, who is New Jersey Devils management, along with Chico Resch and Kris MacPhee have a hockey school for kids of all ages and sponsored by Hockey Ministries International (HMI), which runs from Aug. 22-26 at the APM in Cornwall.
McQuaid and Harris are involved in HMI at the NHL level and their camp is a hockey camp experience for all kids – the first for P.E.I. There is a cost, but financial assistance is available for those in need. The camp is filled for this year.
Fred MacDonald's column appears every Saturday in The Guardian. He can be reached at [email protected].
