Roll Em eyes repeat in Summerside signature event

The premiere harness racing event at Redshore’s Summerside Raceway, the $35,000 Governor’s Plate is set for Saturday (July 20). It is slated as the 16^th and final race of the card which also features a couple splits for the Atlantic Sires Stakes and the Ruby Chappell Memorial Mares Open.

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The field for the Governor’s Plate is as follows:

1. Batterup Hanover – Paul Langille (8-1)
2. Fern Hill General – Brody Macphee (6-1)
3. Bee Two Bee – Jason Hughes (7-2)
4. Rollwithhottytoddy – Myles Heffernan (4-1)
5. Twin B Tuffenuff – Gilles Barrieau (3-1)
6. Island Beach Boy – Corey Macpherson (10-1)
7. All Bets On Tex – Ken Murphy (12-1)
8. Roll Em – Marc Campbell (5-2)

The reigning champion, Roll Em (Time To Roll) is off to another hot start. The six-year-old gelding has five wins in seven starts this year and has yet to finish worse than third. He won the elimination in 1:53.3.

Roll Em is under the care of trainer Brent Campbell, and he has been with the pacer since he came to Atlantic Canada. Roll Em was one of the toughest pacers to beat in Atlantic Canada last year. Roll Em’s fastest mile last year was his 1:51.1 in the Governor’s Plate Elimination. He followed that up with a 1:51.4 victory in the Finals.

Rollwithhottytoddy (Rollwithitharry) upset the other elimination at 18-1 and won by a neck in 1:54.1. The Trevor Hicken-trained gelding picked up his fifth win of the year and 19th career win. The mile time was good enough to be his best of the year. Rollwithhottytoddy’s lifetime mark of 1:52.3 was achieved at the half-mile track at Charlottetown Driving Park. He finished just behind Roll Em in the Lindsay Cup at Truro Raceway and will be looking to get the better of him this time. Myles Heffernan will be in the bike with Rollwithhottytoddy once again.

Bee Two Bee (Sunshine Beach) was the betting favourite that just got beaten late in the upset. The seven-year-old led from the word go and was only passed down the stretch. 

Just before the main event, eight aged pacing mares will compete for the $7,500 Ruby Chappell Memorial.

The field for the Ruby Chappel Memorial is as follows:

1. Tobins Brownie – David Dowling (8-1)
2. Flip The Script – Gilles Barrieau (5-2)
3. Plain Jane – Marc Campbell (10-1)
4. Rosetown Mary – Corey Macpherson (3-1)
5. Sugar Bowl – Ken Murphy (7-2)
6. Redlandbethany Jean – Brodie Macphee (4-1)
7. Acefortyfour Dome – Jason Hughs (12-1)
8. Pasta Momma – Adam Merner (6-1)

The morning line favourite, Flip The Script (American Ideal) won her elimination in 1:56.3 and it was her fifth win of the year. She has won four in a row and put up a lifetime mark during that time of 1:53.4 at Truro Raceway. The five-year-old mare has won 14 times over 87 career starts and has earned over $222,000 in prize money. Ashley Macdonald trains Flip The Script and has earned all three of her wins this year with the mare. Gilles Barrieau will jump in the bike come post time.

The other elimination winner, Sugar Bowl (Sweet Lou) opens at 7-2 even though she had the faster mile at 1:55.3. It was her second win of the year and her 16th lifetime. The five-year-old mare even has a slightly faster lifetime mark of 1:53.2 which she posted at Charlottetown Driving Park.  She sits at $96,243 in lifetime earnings over 65 appearances. Ashley Gamester trains Sugar Bowl and Ken Murphy will be back in the sulky.

Along with the two main events, the card also features a $29,200 Atlantic Sires Stakes A Division for three-year-old pacing colts. Merigo Magic (Tobago Cays) is putting his perfect 2024 record on the line and will be eyeing a seventh straight win. The Melissa Rennie trained gelding is coming off a personal best 1:55.1 mile at Truro Raceway. Merigo Magic beat his previous best by only one-fifth of a second. 

There are also four divisions for the ATSS B division each going for $6,000.

The action kicks off at 4:00 p.m. Atlantic while the Governor’s Plate is estimated to go off at 9:06 p.m. 

by Trey Colbeck, for Harnesslink