CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — Making the jump from the Ontario Sires Stakes to Grand Circuit racing was no big deal for an Island-owned filly last week in Ontario.
Rose Run Vantage captured a $95,296 Champlain stake division at Woodbine Mohawk Park to surpass $108,000 in career earnings from just six starts. The two-year-old daughter of Big Jim is co-owned by Daniel Ross of Belfast, along with Wayne MacRae of Fall River, N.S.
The filly won her first three lifetime starts, first in the Gilles Barrieau stable on P.E.I., where she was broke and trained down, then with trainer Anthony Beaton in Ontario. She followed that up with a pair of second-place finishes in Ontario Sires Stakes gold competition before making her Champlain stake score.
Dorian impact
Wild weather across Atlantic Canada put a screaming halt to many race cards scheduled across the region last weekend.
Racing in Charlottetown and Summerside was originally rescheduled with fresh post times on Saturday and Sunday but were eventually scrapped due to Dorian.
The Atlantic Sires Stakes for three-year-old pacing colts was supposed to happen Saturday afternoon at Northside Downs in North Sydney, N.S., but with the impending weather system was rescheduled to Monday evening at Inverness Raceway in Nova Scotia to coincide with the Atlantic Sires Stakes for two-year-old pacing colts. But, even then, it was not meant to be as power outages in the Cape Breton village cancelled the card.
With no time in the schedule left to hold the two- and three-year-old pacing sires stakes divisions, officials divided the purse money and championship points between all horses entered in those races.
Northside Downs did manage to have their card Saturday afternoon and the only other track to race was Fredericton Raceway in New Brunswick, which held its first card in the last two years. Woodmere Ideal Art won the $3,500 Joe and Jennie Chippin memorial in 1:56 for driver Todd Trites and trainer Sifroi Melanson.
P.E.I. Scene
The 85th anniversary of the P.E.I. Colt Stakes headlines the racing week at Red Shores at the Charlottetown Driving Park.
The two- and three-year-old trotters competed on Thursday evening while the two-year-old pacing colts and fillies highlight the Saturday afternoon card with 12 dashes beginning at 12:30 p.m. The three-year-old pacing colts and fillies are the main event on the Saturday evening card with a hefty 15 dashes beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Nick’s Picks
Saturday at Red Shores at the Charlottetown Driving Park:
12:30 p.m.
Race 1 – Ashestodiamonds
Race 2 – Windemere Ryan
Race 3 – Whosurwinner
Race 4 – Bettorthanbobbi
Race 5 – U Bettim Watching
Race 6 – Chief Exec Officer
Race 7 – Watch Me Dance
Race 8 - Tobins Rebel
Race 9 – Dilans Mustang
Race 10 – Saulsbrook Ocean
Race 11 – Woodmere Rollnpop
Race 12 – Jens Credit
6:30 p.m.
Race 1 – Purple Poet
Race 2 – Im A Miracle
Race 3 – Ashes To Ashes
Race 4 – Notorious
Race 5 – Traces Of Purple
Race 6 – Emilys Angel
Race 7 – Sodwana Bay
Race 8 – Red Dirt Boomer
Race 9 – Zero Rate
Race 10 – Woodmere Oleksiak
Race 11 – Er Quinn
Race 12 – Saulsbrook Lassie
Race 13 – The Big Bite
Race 14 – Eagle Jolt
Race 15 – Lisburn
Nicholas Oakes' column appears in The Guardian each Friday. He can be reached at [email protected].
