Claiming action on tap at Red Shores

CHARLOTTETOWN, PE – The Alpine Claiming series is in town to kick off the Thursday evening harness racing program at Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park as the capital oval revs up for the start of Old Home Week.

First race post time is 6:30 PM for the 10-dash program with perhaps the toughest horse to ever race the bottom claimer in Charlottetown kicking off the show. Montreal Phil has post 1 in race 4 on the card with Marc Campbell at the lines for trainer and Quebec native Rene Allard in the $1,750 purse event for $4,000 horse and gelding claimers. The 12-year-old son of Blissfull Hall has 59 lifetime wins and $699,093 in purse earnings with his latest victory a 1:54.4 win over the half-mile oval at Yonkers, N.Y. in for a $12,500 price tag. The pacer oozes back class, as he was previously the top pacer at Rideau Carleton Raceway in Glouchester, Ont., and was a winner in a $50,000 claimer last year at Woodbine Raceway in Ontario.

The second horses and geldings division of the Alpine $4,000 Claiming series lines up in race 6 with Leading Camdidate leading the charge from post 3 for driver Corey MacPherson and owner-trainer Drew Smyth of Ontario. The Gaudreault gang is also in town with their Quebec based racing stable, with them bringing along Louis Philippe Roy to drive their horsepower for Old Home Week action. Roy is the leading driver at Hippodrome 3R in Quebec and sits second in the drivers standings at Rideau Carleton Raceway.

The Alpine $4,000 claiming series for pacing mares attracted just nine entrants with them facing off in race 8 on the card. My Ideal Hanover looks like the class of the field from post 1 with Campbell and Allard yet again teaming up with the winner of 20 races and $261,941 in purses.

The MacPherson Roche Smith and Associates Pace lines up in race 9 with Motorino the morning line favourite with post 8 to overcome for trainer-driver Terry Gallant, who co-owns the horse with Eric Johnston of Summerside. Other top entries include Clic K (Gilles Barrieau) and Bazillion (Brian MacPhee).

By Nicholas Oakes