CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. – Stallions will outnumber the geldings as the top pacers head to the gate in the preferred pace Sunday at Red Shores at the Charlottetown Driving Park.
The 14-dash card kicks off at 12:30 p.m. with the preferred pace lining up in Race 13 for a $2,650 pot.
Rollwithitharry gets top billing from Post 4 in the compact field of five. Walter Cheverie gets the catch-driving call behind the 10-year-old son of Rocknroll Hanover for trainer Jackie Matheson and owner Woodmere Farms of Marshfield.
Absent from the racing scene for more than three years, Rollwithitharry has been standing stud on P.E.I. and returns to racing after successfully selling his first crop at public auction this past month.
The pacer was a convincing winner in 1:56.2 in his latest start but goes up a notch on the class ladder to find some warhorses that have been slugging it out every week.
Winter Blast defeated his foes in last week’s preferred pace and gets the rail to work from this week for driver Jason Hughes and conditioner Jennifer Doyle.
Three Truths saw his hot streak come to an end last week with a sixth-place finish, ending his top-three streak. Kenny Arsenault will again drive the son of Shadow Play with an improved position this week as he scores Post 2.
Not to forget Czar Seelster, who has been a force on the invitational circuit all season and will look for revenge after a fourth-place finish in his latest with Mike McGuigan at the lines.
IC True Grit rides a trio of top-three finishes into the event with Post 3 for driver Ron Matheson.
Race analyst Les MacIsaac like the fresh demeanour of Rollwithitharry to put it all together.
“His back class really showed up last week when he left an excellent field in the dust,” MacIsaac said of Rollwithitharry. “These will be tougher, but off that performance, and with the aforementioned back class, it's hard to rule out a repeat.”
The backup pace on the program hits the track in Race 10 for a $2,350 pot with Pictonian Storm leaving off the rail, looking to help rookie driver Austin Sorrie knock off Corey MacPherson and make history.
The 19-year-old Montague driver is in the midst of a red-hot first season in the race bike with 28 wins going into the weekend, while MacPherson holds the record for most wins by a first-year driver on P.E.I. with 31 wins in his 2009 rookie campaign.
Today’s card has been postponed until Monday at 6 p.m. due to the heavy rain forecasted for today
– Compiled by Nicholas Oakes for Red Shores.
