AT THE TRACK: Sodwana Bay makes statement at SRW

Governor’s Plate Decade of Champions begins Sunday

['Vance Cameron']

The old Summerside Raceway was the fastest half-mile racetrack in the country by virtue of the miles our equine athletes were going last Sunday.
The newest member of our Island racing colony, Sodwana Bay, made a statement in the Atlantic Aged Pacing Mares Series. The Gilles Barrieau pupil was a going-away winner in 1:55.3 3 for the fastest mile of the day.
The local oval will host another card of racing on Sunday at 1 p.m., and at press time the weather forecast was not too impressive.

Sunday feature
Once again, co-owner and trainer Paul Biggar has dropped the claiming price on last week’s feature winner, Mando Fun. This horse now finds himself in the preferred “1” class, scoring from the same post position as he did last week. Kenny Arsenault will be in the sulky, and a repeat performance looks imminent.
The 2017 Governors Plate winner, Do Over Hanover, is back in Summerside prepping for another title shot. The horse banked over $127,000 last year, winning more than half his races. He wasn’t too impressive in his Summerside qualifier on June 10th, finishing second in 2:00.3. I’ll have to get a look at him Sunday after missing his qualifier to give my personal opinion on a Governor’s Plate repeat.
Salmonier Storm completes the program’s top-three selections on Sunday. The Storm has turned into a really nice racehorse for the father/daughter team of Brian MacPhee and Ambyr Campbell. Ambyr has been doing most of the driving on this fella, and has been coming from off the pace and mowing them down in the homestretch.
There’s a newcomer to Summerside on Sunday as Fast N Victorious will make his Summerside debut. I don’t know much about this horse other than he can leave the gate like a runner. He shows being on front at the quarter in :26.1 – boom!
Heart and Soul has been one of those lucky-at-the-draw horses as of late. The Walter Cheverie-conditioned former star of the stakes has had the rail in four of his last six races. I thought he raced a little stale last week after clearing the lead late, only to surrender it in deep stretch.
Confident Fella completes the Sunday feature field. This horse falls victim of money-winning classification. By that I mean he shows winning a non-winners of $1,251 event, and because he had a second in a claiming class in his next start, based on money winnings, he had to struggle in this very tough top class.

Governor’s Plate 50
The Prince County Horseman’s Club has come up with a great way to partner with Red Shores Summerside as a build up to the golden anniversary of the Governor’s Plate.
Decade of Champions will start in Summerside on Sunday, and continue until Lobster Carnival Week as we try and reunite the connections of past Governor’s Plate winners by inviting them to be a part of our golden anniversary.
Sunday, we recognize the plate winners from 1969 to 1980. Nice touch!

Saturday
The Charlottetown Driving Park will host the $5,000 Cecil Ladner Memorial Invitational Pace on Saturday. Now here’s how tough the field is – Euchered has been the horse to beat since the racing meet opened in Charlottetown, but he’s not even picked in the top three.
Walter Simmons’s new horse, In Spades, is the morning-line favourite for rookie driver Austin Sorrie. Post time is set for 6 p.m.

Picks
A look at Sunday’s picks:
Best bets – Fiftyshadesofgraci in Race 5, and Issies Angel in Race 7.
Long shot possibilities – Zambuca Gass in Race 3, and Pictonion Sareta in Race 6.