The summer racing meet is hitting full stride at Red Shores at the Charlottetown Driving Park but the fact remains that from four preferred paces held so far this season, Euchred has only been defeating once.
Euchred will be saddled with Post 5 on Saturday evening in the Race 9 preferred pace at the capital oval that has a 6 p.m. first race post time.
The $2,650 top event has Euchred assigned the outside in the compact field of five with Adam Merner back in the bike for trainer Terry Gallant and owner Kayla Habicht Walker of Inverness, N.S. The six-year-old son of Shadow Play only tasted East Coast defeat once so far in 2018 and that was at the hooves of Czar Seelster, who gets Post 3 this week after been absent from this class on May 19. Kenny Arsenault drives Czar Seelster for trainer Todd Weatherbee and owner Tammy Johnston of Stratford.
Whoever controls the front end has hit the winner’s circle in every preferred pace so far this season, but despite the outside post, race analyst Les MacIsaac still thinks Euchred can get his third win in-a-row on Saturday evening.
“Euchred was three-wide to a 27 second opening quarter last week and still left his rivals in the dust with a closing panel in 29 seconds flat,” MacIsaac said. “That makes three wins from four tries and other than the likely short price there's not much to dislike.”
Other entries include Winter Blast (driven by Jason Hughes), Cartoon Daddy (Corey MacPherson) and Rose Run Quest (Marc Campbell).
Another tight knit group of top pacers will line up in Race 7 on the program in the $2,200 back-up pace. Mr Irresistible draws the outside for driver Hughes and trainer Jennifer Doyle. The six-year-old son of Mister Big was a convincing winner in 1:55.4 in his latest outing but has some talented pacers leaving on his inside. The iron tough Junebugs Baby has Post 4 in the event and is reunited with driver Myles Heffernan Sr., this week. The son of Western Paradise has proven more than capable of knocking off top pacers as his biggest victory of 2017 was defeating Mr Irresistible in a stretch drive in the Cecil Ladner Memorial Invitational. Zero Rate (Kenny Arsenault) has rail control in the Saturday event, with Tobinator (MacPherson) and Ashes To Ashes (Gilles Barrieau) rounding out the field.
SUMMERSIDE
The very best three-year-old colt and filly pacers in Atlantic Canada will converge on Red Shores at the Summerside Raceway on Sunday afternoon for the first legs of the Island Breeders series.
The 13-dash program kicks off at 1 p.m. featuring four $6,000 divisions of the Ruby Chappell Memorial Stakes for three-year-old pacing colts and five $5,400 divisions of the Bob Dewar Memorial Stake for three-year-old pacing fillies.
The first $5,400 Dewar split opens up the card in Race 1 with Dowahs Boy the favourite in just his second lifetime start after an eye opening 1:58.4 victory in his career debut over Northside Downs in Nova Scotia. A brother to former top stakes competitors Carol Alice and Nameisonthehalter, Dowahs Boy will have the services of Clare MacDonald in the race bike for owner-trainer Larry Snow of Glace Bay, N.S.
Weekend Atnannies if the favourite in the second Dewar division in Race 3 with Corey MacPherson at the lines for trainer Leonard (Barney) McGuigan and owner Glenn Dunn of Summerville from Post 7.
The third $5,400 split is in Race 6 with Red Shores Summerside two-year-old track record holder Sock It Away favoured from Post 2 for driver Marc Campbell, trainer Kevin MacLean and owner Reg MacPherson of Stratford.
Half Cut is the morning line choice in Race 8’s Dewar division for driver Mark Bradley and trainer Tom Weatherbie, while the final division in Race 12 has Tobins Lightning the likely favourite with rail control for trainer-driver Kenny Arsenault.
The quartet of $6,000 Ruby Chappell divisions for the sophomore pacing fillies starts off in Race 2 with MacPherson and McGuigan also favoured in that split with post entry R Es Shabla for owner Lloyd Parsons of Carmanville, N.L.
Tobins Terror gets top billing in Race 5’s $6,000 Chappell division for trainer-driver Gary Chappell, while Race 7 has Chocolate Terror trying to overcome Post 8 as the favourite for trainer-driver Darren Crowe.
The final $6,000 division lines up in Race 11 with Atlantic Breeder’s Crown champion Woodmere Ceilidh leaving from Post 5 for trainer-driver MacDonald, against morning line favourite Cherry Pop with Post 7 for trainer-driver Crowe.
Compiled by Nicholas Oakes For Red Shores
