Aged Maritime pacers gear up for Graduate Series

The first leg of the PEI Colt Stake Graduate Series kicks off on Saturday (July 27) at Redshore’s Charlottetown. The event is open to four- to six-year-old Maritime foaled or sired harness racing horses. There are two grassroot splits for non-winners of $50,000 as of Dec. 31, 2023, each going for a purse of $4,300. Another eight pacers who have won over $50,000 lifetime draw into the gold division, and they will fight over $5,500.

The lone gold division is scheduled for race 13 and kicks off the late Daily Double. The 5-2 morning line favourite is Rollwithhottytoddy (Rollwithitharry) and the five-year-old gelding is eyeing his 20th career win on Saturday. He is coming off a second-place finish in the Governor’s Plate Final after winning the elimination in 1:54.1. Rollwithhoddytoddy has finished in the top three nine times in 13 appearances this year. In 77 career starts, he has booked 19 trips to the winner’s circle and has earned over $107,000 in prize money. The Nova Scotia-bred pacer is currently owned by Trevor Hicken who also assumes training duties. Myles Heffernan usually handles driving duties and he will be charged with the task once again on Saturday.

Although he has not had the greatest 2024, Malignity (Malicious) will be looking to get back on track after having an exception sophomore year. He finished his three-year-old campaign with 11 wins in 14 starts and only finished outside the top three once. Malignity only has one win to his name this year in five starts and hasn’t finished in the top three in any of his other starts. It has been very different results this year but now returning to Charlottetown might be the change he needs. Trainer Paul Langille will once again jump into the bike behind Malignity.

Another Malicious-sired gelding, Fern Hill General will be looking to earn his third win of the year if things go his way. He finished third in the Governor’s Plate and also finished third in the eliminations. His last win was on June 22 at Charlottetown Driving Park and he paced the mile in career best 1:53.3. Saturday will mark the five-year-old gelding’s 70th career start. Brodie Mac Phee teams up with Fern Hill General for trainer Tom Weatherbie.

Howmac Charmer (Malicious) has three wins and has yet to finish worse than second place in six starts this year. He even earned a new lifetime mark of 1:55.2 during his recent stretch. He has already matched his win total of last year and still has time to improve on that. The four-year-old gelding has earned over $54,100 in 35 career starts. Kyle Williams has a pretty high training average this year. He has eight wins in 31 total starts and his horses have finished in the top three 19 times. Williams Udrs currently sits at 0.412 which is by far the best of his career. 2023 was his best statistical year so far and he finished with 19 wins in 99 and earned $78,210.

The Shadow Play gelding, Impeccable Shadow has a slightly faster lifetime mark of 1:55 which he accomplished earlier this year at Charlottetown Driving Park. He only has two wins in ten starts this year. Post seven has been trouble in his past as his last two starts from that position he had finished seventh and eighth. However, Impeccable Shadow also has won from post seven at Charlottetown before. Melissa Rennie is also firing at an impressive rate. Her Udrs is 0.408 this year which is also currently the best of her career. Rennie has accumulated $932,712 in prize money over the last decade and hitting the $1 million mark is likely in her immediate future.

The veteran six-year-old Western Paradise gelding, Pictorian I Am received the nod as the morning line favourite at 5-2. He is coming off a win in 1:56.2 at Summerside Raceway which matches his fastest of the year. His lifetime mark is a bit faster at 1:55 which he also achieved at Summerside. In 81 career starts, he has 17 wins and has earned $52,590 which makes him the second highest earner to draw into the Grassroots division. 

The only Grassroots entrant with more lifetime earnings is Brookdale Johnny (Rockin In Heaven) with $87,875. The four-year-old gelding only had $43,120 before the end of 2023 deadline but racked up $39,697 so far this year. He spent the early part of the year racing at Woodbine Mohawk Park which helps account for the earnings this year. Two of three wins this year came at the seven-eighths track in Campbellville, Ontario. Both of those wins came with a mile time of 1:52.4. The Nova Scotia-bred gelding has bounced back from his winless 2023 and his return to the Maritimes should surely benefit him.

The first of 14 dashes at Redshore’s Charlottetown kicks off Saturday at 4:00 p.m. Atlantic.

For complete race results, click here.

by Trey Colbeck, for Harnesslink