CHARLOTTETOWN, PE – When the dust settled last Sunday in Truro, N.S., Adkins Hanover was the only one left standing against harness racing Invitational company and now the top Island pacers get a crack at him Saturday evening at Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park.
The card kicks off at 6 P.M. with 13-dashes scheduled including the race 12 top event for a purse of $2,400 with Adkins Hanover being forced to overcome the outside post 7 fresh off his 1:54.2 victory in the $7,500 Johnny Conroy Memorial Invitational at the Truro Raceway. Corey MacPherson will drive the Trevor Hicken trained pacer for owner Perry Burke of Grosse-Ile., Que. His Saturday night Red Shores competition includes Caracci Hanover, who has acquitted himself well since relocating East, with Jason Hughes at the lines for conditioner Jennifer Trainor. Likely To Win is at 7-2 odds as third choice on the morning line after putting together a solid season for driver Adam Merner and trainer Melissa Rennie, getting post 4 to work from this week.
Race analyst Les MacIsaac sees the 1:54.2 mile laid down by Adkins Hanover in his most recent as far too much to ignore.
"Adkins Hanover has got the gate speed to overcome the outside post so if he can secure an uncontested lead there could be nothing but open road ahead," MacIsaac said.
Also in the field of seven is Elm Grove Kaboom (Earl Smith), Mick Dundee (Donnie MacNeill), D Gs Camme (Gilles Barrieau) and Nogreatmischief (Walter Cheverie).
A hard hitting group of Open Pacing Mares is set to duke it out in race 9 for a $2,250 purse with Prettyndangerous living up to her name in recent week as she rides a two-race Open Mares streak into post 3 for driver Merner, trainer and co-owner Bo Ford, and co-owner Arnold Myers, all of Charlottetown. Both of those winning trips were in identical 1:56.2 miles for Prettyndangerous but classifier Gerard Smith will install Good Luck Kathy (Hughes) as the morning line choice from post 2 while Shadows Mystery (Kenny Arsenault) is another top choice with rail control. Ramblinglily was the dominate force in the mare's rank at the start of the season but incredibly has not seen the winner's circle in pari-mutuel action since July 29. Trainer Alan Jones has elected to make a change in the driver's seat this week as Ken Murphy will drive the daughter of Articulator.
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Old Buck Headlines Sunday Red Shores Card
The 2017 racing season has been kind to trainer Alan MacDonald as his charge has been tremendous all season and gets the nod as top choice in the Sunday afternoonfeature at Red Shores at the Summerside Raceway.
First race post time is 1 P.M. for the 13-dash card with a competitive eight horse field assembled for the $2,200 race 12 featured pace. Old Buck has been rock solid all season for trainer MacDonald of Summerside, who also owned the four-year-old son of Ameripan Gigolo. With 17 starts on the season, the pacing horse has five wins, three seconds and three thirds to give MacDonald a sparking .450 training average. Jason Hughes regularly handles the driving duties of Old Buck and will return to the lines again this week from post 2 as the morning line choice. Ultimatelyhandsome has been knocking on the door recently with top three finishes in his last three starts for trainer Sifroi Melanson. Dale Spence gets the catch driving call on Ultimatelyhandsome from post 6 this week while the fast pacing Rash B Havior has post 4 for trainer Mike Peters of Emyvale with Gary Chappell in the seat on Sunday afternoon.
Other feature entrants include Dbs Rosco (Walter Cheverie), Minor Wisdom (Ryan Desroche), Machinthesand (Ken Murphy), Good Friday Three (Wade Sorrie) and Allstar Seelster (Norris Rogers).
The afternoon back-up class hits the track in race 13 with Culpepper installed at 12-1 odds as the longest shot on the board but that was before his 1:56.2 romp on Thursday in Charlottetown. Ryan Desroche picks up the catch drive from post 5 behind the Kristina McCourt trainee as the pacers looks to defend his four consecutive top two finishes since relocating East. Pictonian Storm gets top call on the morning line from post 2 with Wade Sorrie in the bike while Heart And Guts rides a two-race win streak into post 7 and again gets the services of Spence.
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by Nicholas Oakes For Red Shores