CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — A tremendous card of racing leads up to the 60th running of The Guardian Gold Cup and Saucer on the final card of Old Home Week 2019 tonight at Red Shores at the Charlottetown Driving Park.
The $60,000 Gold Cup and Saucer final is carded as Race 14 with a scheduled post time of 11:58 p.m., but the first race of the night card has a 7 p.m., post time with a number of top events leading up to the East Coast classic.
Race 13 features the top mares on the Eastern Seaboard in a $6,250 fillies and mares open pace. Jordies Hope (Brett MacDonald) has rail control while race favourite Sodwana Bay (Gilles Barrieau) leaves from Post 4.
The birthplace of confederation series, sponsored by the City of Charlottetown in memory of Meridian Farms owner Brian Andrew, is programmed as Race 12 with a $10,000 purse at stake. Euchred has rail control in the field of eight top-notch pacers. Jody Jamieson will drive the Walter Walker-trainee as the morning-line choice. Bugsy Maguire (Austin Sorrie) has Post 2 with Do Over Hanover (Simon Allard) leaving from Post 3.
The lone Joe O’Brien gold division for three-year-old pacing colts hits the track in Race 11 with a hefty $17,500 purse at stake. Red Dirt Rocknroll (David Dowling) gets the nod as the favourite while also controlling the rail for trainer Lenny Myers. Other top entries in the sophomore class include Purple Poet (Kenny Arsenault) and Red Dirt Boomer (Barrieau).
The program also has the Alpine $5,000 claiming series final in Race 10 for a $5,900 purse, a $3,500 open trot class in Race 7 and the $5,000 birthplace of confederation consolation in race 5.
Afternoon
Gold Cup and Saucer day racing starts at 1 p.m. with a 10-dash program featuring a pair of $8,000 Joe O’Brien grassroots divisions for three-year-old pacing colts.
Nicholas Oakes is covering harness racing at Old Home Week for The Guardian, culminating with the Gold Cup and Saucer on Saturday. This is his 10th year covering Old Home Week for the news outlet.
