There’s only one word to describe the harness racing program at Summerside on Sunday. Wow!
The entire card features stake racing, including the Atlantic Aged Pacing Mares final for a $15,000-plus purse. The action gets underway at 1 p.m.
Two-year-old trotters
The fastest two-year-old trotter in Maritime harness racing history is Buckaroo, and he’ll be making a stop in Summerside. This colt took the title after destroying his rivals in the P.E.I. Colt Stakes.
The margin of victory was more than eight lengths in his record time of 2:00.2.
Three-year-old trotters
The undefeated three-year-old trotter Pappy Go Go is the overwhelming favourite in his division of the Lady Slipper. This colt, like his two-year-old stablemate (Buckaroo), calls the Marc Campbell barn home.
Pappy has eight starts on the year, and eight trips to the winner’s enclosure.
Three-year-old filly pacers
There will be two gold Lady Slipper divisions on Sunday, with both carrying purses of $11,600. Every filly in the gold series will receive prize money as there are only five in each race.
Traces of Purple (Gilles Barrieau) is the morning-line favourite and top money winner in her division. This filly has over $36,000 earned for her connections. The five-time winner this year has a personal-best record of 1:56.3 over Charlottetown.
The newest member of the $100,000 Maritime money club is Filly Forty Seven. She accomplished this feat after a going-away winner in the Turner Stake last week in Truro, N.S. She’s on a three-race winning streak, and will add to her money winnings Sunday.
Three-year-old colt pacers
Two $9,000 Joe O’Brien Gold Stakes are also offered up.
Ashes To Ashes is the fastest of this group on the season. His 1:55.2 clocking in Charlottetown puts him on top of the speed list.
Oh, what a difference a year makes. After only gathering up $3,600 as a two-year-old, this colt has over $35,000 in the bank in 2017.
Last year’s speed colt Tobinator got off to a slow start as a three-year-old. Now with that said, this colt looks like he has turned things around. He shows several miles in 1:55 and change, and went wire to wire in the Turner last Sunday, winning in 1:56.4.
Atlantic aged pacing mares final
As they say in Tignish, “the very best” aged pacing mares in the Maritimes will slug it out on Sunday in Summerside. The $15,417 final has Good Luck Kathy (Jason Hughes) as the horse to beat in the morning line.
This mare is always there on the end of the mile as her chart lines say. Kathy’s biggest margin of defeat is three quarters of a length, and that’s not much.
Shadows Mystery (Kenny Arsenault) is second choice. Mystery just missed the Summerside Raceway track record last year by one-fifth of a second, after taking her record of 1:54.1. She has 15 podium appearances for 17 open mares starts.
Rounding out the classifier’s selections is the fastest aged pacing mare in the Maritimes this year, Pretty N Dangerous. Her 1:54.4 victory in Summerside is the quickest on the East Coast in 2017.
To tell you how competitive these open mares are, Rambling Lily is on her longest losing streak of her illustrious career and is morning-lined at on incredible 6-to-1.
Flashback
It was spring of 2014, and I was always a fan of the Charlottetown Horseman’s Award Banquet. I can remember being in attendance when the legendary Charlie Willies was honoured as horseman of the year and I can’t quite remember the exact quote, but it went something like, “I don’t know if I deserve it, but I’m keeping it.”
I’ve been very blessed to emcee this prestigious event, and being asked to be their guest speaker was the crowning point of my 40-year career. On that evening I, hopefully, was able to captivate the audience with some Vance Cameron tales from the past, receiving their complete attention on that one special night.
I can never thank the P.E.I. Standardbred Horse Owners Association enough for giving me my moment in time.
There will be a special Wednesday night of racing in Summerside to compensate the overnight horses. It will be an earlier post time of 6:30 p.m.
Picks
A look at Sunday’s picks:
Best bets – Myambrose in Race 5, and Pappy Go Go in Race 9.
Long shot possibilities – Howmacs Dragonator in Race 6, and Rambling Lily in Race 14.
Vance Cameron is the track announcer in Summerside and Charlottetown. Comments and suggestions can be sent to jpsports@journalpioneer.com.