By Nicholas Oakes For Red Shores

SUMMERSIDE, PE – Saturday night is show time at Red Shores at the Summerside Raceway.

The 49th edition of the Governor’s Plate, presented by Summerside Chrysler Dodge, lines up in race 16 on the program for a $22,000 purse. The special first race post time for the 16-dash program is 6 P.M.

Hot Deuce is installed as the morning line favourite after a convincing win in his  Governor’s Plate elimination on Sunday afternoon and again gets the services of Walter Cheverie as the Borden-Carleton native looks for his second career win in the Prince County classic. The free-legged pacer is shouldered with the tough post 7 Saturday but considering he shows a parked out first quarter in 26.4 at the half-mile oval at Flamboro Downs in Ontario, where he starts may not mean much when the wings fold. Patrick Shepherd trains Hot Deuce for owner Mike McAllister of Beaumont, Alta.

Elimination two winner Do Over Hanover has a more favourable starting point with post 2 at 3-1 morning line odds and Summerside’s leading driver in the seat while riding a four race win streak. Marc Campbell drives the horse for trainer Chris MacKay and owners Allard Racing Inc., of Saint-Esprit, Que., Red Isle Racing of North Granville and Steven MacRae of Vernon Bridge.

Rail control in the prestigious event belongs to Forever Paradise at 10-1 odds with Adam Merner driving for trainer Kevin MacLean and owners Reg MacPherson and David MacKenzie of Stratford and Aaron MacKenzie of Winsloe after finishing third in his elimination.

Allstar Seelster is the longest shot on the board at 12-1 but gets post 3 with Norris Rogers in the bike for owner and trainer Ed Harvey of Tyne Valley.

Junebugs Baby leaves from post 4 at 6-1 odds after showing in recent weeks that he can knock off the East Coast’s finest pacers with wins in the Cecil Ladner Memorial Invitational at Red Shores Charlottetown and the Walter Dale Memorial in Saint John. Myles Heffernan trains and drives the son of Western Paradise for owner Jackie Heffernan of Summerville.

Post 5 starter Invictus Hanover has for Summerside Raceway leading driver Jason Hughes in the bike at 8-1. Hughes also trains the pacer as he dreams of winning a race that has so far eluded his career. Invictus Hanover is owned by Foxyhall Racing of Wallace, N.S.

Good Friday Three has post 6 as the 7-2 third choice in the race with Kenny Arsenault driving for 17-year-old trainer Austin Sorrie, the youngest conditioner in the race, and owner Walter Simmons of Summerside. The relative newcomer to P.E.I. was second in his Governor’s Plate elimination pacing in 1:53.4. Arsenault previously won the 2011 edition of the Governor’s Plate joining Campbell and Cheverie as the only past winner’s driving in this year’s final.

Former Charlottetown track record holder Crombie A completes the field with post 8 at 4-1 odds with the winningest driver in the history of the Summerside Raceway, Gary Chappell, in the bike looking for his first Governor’s Plate victory. Earl Watts trains the 11-year-old son of Life Sign for owners Allard Racing and Kapildeo Singh of Yorktown Heights, N.Y.

The current Red Shores Summerside track record is 1:51.4 set by Ys Lotus in the 2016 Governor’s Plate final.

Undercard
The night promises to pack a punch before the 49th running of the Governor’s Plate caps off Governor’s Plate week racing in Summerside.

The program features the Atlantic Sires Stakes for three-year-old pacing colts with $12,940 A-divisions in races 11 and 14. A trio of Atlantic Sires Stakes B-divisions for three-year-old pacing colts line up in races 4, 6 and 8.

The $2,200 Premier’s Pace preferred class lines up in race 12 with Jeb (Hughes) the race favourite over Starcastic (Gilles Barrieau) and Machinthesand (Ken Murphy).

Mr Irresistible is the morning line choice with rail control in the race 13 $5,000 Governor’s Plate consolation with Hughes in the bike. Other top entries include His Boy Elroy (Bernard McCallum) and Nogreatmischief (Cheverie).

The race 15 Governor’s Plate Open Mares final carries a $3,500 purse with Ramblinglily riding a five-race win streak for driver Walter Cheverie and trainer Allan Jones of Riverview, N.B. The hard hitting field of eight also includes Good Luck Kathy (Hughes) and Prettyndangerous (Merner).
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Catch all the action live at the track with the $100,000 Dash For Cash promotion being offered on the card to live patrons. Check out www.redshores.ca for live video, race programs and promotional information.