CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. – Machinthesand has been red hot in recent weeks but Likely To Win will control the rail in tonight’s matchup at Red Shores at the Charlottetown Driving Park.
The 12-dash program gets underway at 6 p.m., with the $2,350 feature hitting the track in Race 11.
Likely To Win gets the respect of classifier Gerard Smith as the morning-line favourite from Post 1 for driver Adam Merner and trainer Melissa Rennie. Owned by Blenise Young and Lester Campbell of Nova Scotia, along with Jeffrey Campbell of Alberta, Likely To Win has had five trips to the winner’s circle from 19 starts and has rail control for the first time since May. Machinthesand has drawn Post 4 while sporting five wins in his last six starts. Ken Murphy gets the catch-driving call for trainer Barry Folland and owner Noonan Holdings Ltd., of Summerside. Keep Coming is selected for third from Post 3 for driver David Dowling and trainer Brian Andrew.
“Machinthesand was just going through the motions early in the season but he's really taken it up a notch the past few weeks winning five of his last six,” said race analyst Les MacIsaac. “With form like that you got to think the road to the winners circle goes through him.”
The fillies and mares open pace goes behind the gate in Race 7 for a $2,350 purse with Shadows Mystery riding a two-race win streak into Post 3. The Gordie Ford-owned and trained daughter of Shadow Play was a winner in this class in her latest start and retains the services of driver Merner. Ramblinglily also has a pair of wins in her latest starts including the $5,000 Jim Doherty Memorial Invitational at Exhibition Park Raceway in Saint John, N.B., last week. Murphy is at the lines for trainer Allan Jones, while Sodwana Bay is also pegged as a top threat from Post 4 for trainer-driver Gilles Barrieau.
– Compiled by Nicholas Oakes for Red Shores.
