SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. – Austin Sorrie and Earl Watts will be in a slugfest all day long Monday at Red Shores at the Summerside Raceway as the conditioners look to settle the score for top trainer in the final program of the season.
The 12-dash card kicks off at 6 p.m. after it inclement weather in the forecast for Saturday into Sunday forced organizers to push the card from Sunday to Monday. David Dowling leads all drivers as he is set to take away his first driving title on the East Coast while Watts leads all trainers by one victory over Sorrie.
Dowling, a former leading driver at Sudbury Downs in Ontario, goes into Sunday’s card with 39 wins on the season for an insurmountable 10-race advantage over Corey MacPherson, who is not competing on the program.
Watts, a resident of Hampshire, has 14 wins as a trainer in 2018 in Summerside and will send three starters postward Sunday.
Sorrie sits in second place with 13 wins at the Prince County oval and will sit behind all six of his Sunday afternoon starters. The rookie driver will also have a starter in the Race 11 top class for a $2,200 purse as Pictonian Storm will look to add to the Montague horsemen’s stats.
Leaving from Post 3, Pictonian Storm is installed at 4-1 morning-line odds in the compact field of five but defeated this group two starts back in Summerside.
Fast N Victorious has been acquitting himself well lately and gets rail control for driver Adam Merner and trainer Stephen Gass. Mando Fun delivered off the front end in this class last week and garners the respect of morning-line favourite from Post 2.
Dale Spence drives the pacer for co-owner and trainer Paul Biggar of Tyne Valley and co-owner Donald Callbeck of Kensington.
Race analyst Bo Ford thinks Pictonian Storm could add to Sorrie’s 2018 win totals.
“This is another one of those top classes that are wide open,” Ford said. “Pictonian Storm won it two starts back and the rookie is looking for the training title. Expect his best today.”
The feature field also includes Machinthesand (Ken Murphy) and Eagle Jolt (Marc Campbell).
The final program of the year also features the Gerard Smith P.E.I. Sports Hall of Fame pace, Bob MacInnis memorial and Blu Meadow Willie retirement pace, Isabelle and Ivan Cameron memorial, Wendell Wallace memorial, Arnold Rogers memorial and Zambuca Gass retirement pace.
Loves A Challenge makes his East Coast debut in Race 10 of the program vying for a $1,700 purse. A winner of 19 races and $136,000 in purses, the nine-year-old son of Tulane is now owned and trained by Trevor Hicken of Montague, with Ambyr Campbell getting the catch-driving call. Loves A Challenge last raced in a conditioned event at Hippodrome Trois-Rivieres in Quebec.
– Compiled by Nicholas Oakes for Red Shores
