Barrieau stars on colt stakes night card

CHARLOTTETOWN, PE – The winner's circle was an all too familiar sight for harness racing driver Gilles Barrieau on the second half of the P.E.I. Colt Stakes doubleheader program Saturday night at Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park.

Barrieau trained and driven Red Dirt Boomer delivered in his $6,800 P.E.I. Colt Stakes three-year-old pacing colt assignment with a 1:57 victory for owner Daniel Ross of Belfast. Fellow Barrieau trained Sodwana Bay gave another victory to the Saint John, N.B., reinsman in her $3,620 Atlantic Aged Pacing Mares Series division presented by Standardbred Canada stopping the clock in 1:57.1. His other driving wins were catch assignments in overnight action with Ashes To Ashes winning in 1:57.4 from the Jackie Matheson stable, Forever Paradise scoring in 1:56.4 for trainer Kevin MacLean and Bank Of Dad winning in 1:56.4 for trainer Ambyr Campbell.

Campbell has two wins from her stable on the program as Tobinator won in 1:57.3 with Ken Murphy aboard.

In stakes action, Purple Poet (Driven by Kenny Arsenault) opened the card up in his $6,800 P.E.I. Colt Stakes colt split with a 1:57 victory. Notorious was a popular winner in another split in 1:58.1 for trainer-driver Marc Campbell while Saulsbrook Lassie won the final colt division in 1:57.2 for driver Adam Merner.

Woodmere Oleksiak found her sixth win in-a-row in a $7,800 P.E.I. Colt Stakes three-year-old pacing filly for the combination of driver David Dowling, trainer Earl Watts and owners Hollis Newson, Windemere Farms, Debbie Denney and Ric McNutt. The other filly bouts went to Elm Grove Nellie (Dale Spence) and Cheeky Cherry (Clare MacDonald), both in identical 1:58.1 miles.

Jordies Hope won her $3,620 Atlantic Aged Pacing Mares Series leg with a 1:55.3 win for driver Dowling and trainer Brian Ladner. The $2,900 preferred pace saw Kenny Arsenault cap off a driving triple with Lisburn in a smoldering 1:53.3 trip from his own stable.

For race replays and more go to www.Redshores.ca.

By Nicholas Oakes For Red Shores