SUMMERSIDE, PE – After facing off with the very best pacers in Atlantic Canadian harness racing in recent months, Machinthesand takes some class relief for the Sunday afternoon feature at Red Shores at the Summerside Raceway.
The Prince County oval has 11 dashes scheduled with a 1 p.m. start time.
Machinthesand is favoured in the Race 10 feature pace with a $2,200 purse on the line. Ken Murphy handles the driving chores for trainer Barry Folland and owners Noonan Holdings Ltd., of Summerside. The nine-year-old son of Mach Three has been in the last three invitational events held on the eastern seaboard but only missed a cheque in his latest start in the preferred class in Charlottetown.
Pictonian Storm captured the Summerside feature last week and gets Post 2 to work from this week for trainer-driver Austin Sorrie. Salmonier Storm rides a two-race win streak into Post 3 with Ambyr Campbell at the controls while Mando Fun guards the rail form driver Dale Spence. Completing the tight knit field is Post 4 starter White Fish Flash (Norris Rogers).
Race analyst Bo Ford will play the class dropping angle and place his trust in Machinthesand to find the wire first.
“Machinthesand has been up against Governor’s Plate and even Gold Cup starters,” Ford said. “He’s on top of his game.”
The afternoon back-up class lines up in Race 6 for a $1,800 pot with Woodmere Ideal Art continuing his break from stakes competition to compete today. Jason Hughes returns to the race bike behind the son of Articulator for trainer Sifroi Melanson and owner Ultimate Stable of Greater Lakerburn, N.B. A winner of more than $29,000 this season, Woodmere Ideal Art is listed as the morning-line favourite after finishing fourth in the feature last Sunday in Summerside. Other top entries include Coasttocoastshark (Spence) and Oh To Be Me (Gary Chappell).
– Compiled by Nicholas Oakes for Red Shores.
