CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — The calendar year has reached two-thirds completion and Island horses and horse people have been competitive across the nation’s record books in 2020.
In the half-mile record books for the season, Casimir Richie P’s 1:51.2 victory in The Guardian Gold Cup and Saucer Trial 2 for driver Dale Spence and trainer Dr. Ian Moore, a native of Summerside, remains the fastest mile of the year in Canada.
The fastest winning trip on a half-mile track by a gelding came in the $60,000 Gold Cup and Saucer final as Time To Dance won in 1:51.4 for Orwell native trainer-driver Marc Campbell.
The undefeated Woodmere Stealdeal’s Maritime record of 1:55.1 in Charlottetown is the quickest trip recorded by a two-year-old pacing gelding in Canada.
Fellow Woodmere farm graduate Woodmere Rollnpop is tied for the fastest mile in 2020 by a three-year-old pacing gelding by virtue of his 1:54.2 victory at the Truro Raceway in July.
On the trot side, Mile Hill Willie holds the seasonal record for aged trotting stallions with his 1:56.3 Charlottetown track record-equalling performance on Aug. 22 for driver Gilles Barrieau and trainer Paul Morrison of Cardigan.
Barrieau also continues to lead the country on his driving average, an accomplishment he has bagged numerous times in past years. Campbell is seventh in Canada for driving average while David Dowling is eighth.
Kingston native James MacDonald, who just returned to the race bike Aug. 22 following an Aug. 1 harness racing accident, boasts eighth place in the country for driving money earned at $1.6 million, with Stratford’s Robert Shepherd ninth with $1.1 million in purses earned.
In the driving dash race in Canada, Brett MacDonald, son of Charlottetown native Ron MacDonald, is third in the country with 150 races won. Shepherd sits in ninth place with 106 wins. Honourable mention to Cape Breton native Colin Kelly, who formerly lived on the Island with his father Dave Kelly Sr., a resident of Springvale, who is in fourth place at 149 wins.
On the training side, Campbell shows up again in third place among all conditioners in Canada with a .406 training average. Milton native Rachel Andrew, who campaigns in Ontario, is in ninth place for average at .295.
Bolstered by his second-place finish in last Saturday’s $1-million Pepsi North America Cup final, Moore is fourth in Canada for training purses earned at $972,375.
In the training dash race, Stratford native Patrick Shepherd’s Ontario-based barn holds down sixth place for wins at 60. Campbell is 10th in Canada with 48 training wins.
Maritime Scene
Tonight at the Truro Raceway in Bible Hill, N.S., the three-year-old pacing colts and fillies will compete in five divisions of the Carl and Marg MacKenzie memorial stake.
Saturday afternoon has three splits of the Milton Downey memorial stake at Exhibition Park Raceway in Saint John, N.B.
Island racing will hold a Saturday card at 6 p.m. at Red Shores at the Charlottetown Driving Park while the Summerside Raceway hosts a special Labour Day program on Monday at 1 p.m.
Nicholas Oakes' column appears in The Guardian each Friday. He can be reached at [email protected].
