Covered Bridge's day at the Charlottetown Driving Park

In a thrilling finish, Covered Bridge surged in the final stretch to dominate the 65th Gold Cup and Saucer, presented by Atlantic Lottery, on Saturday, Aug. 17 at Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park.

The $100,000 race saw Larry Karr (driven by Austin Sorrie) holding the lead through early fractions of :26.3 and :54, while Save America (Adam Merner), starting from post eight, made a bold first-over move and seized the lead at the three-quarters mark, clocking 1:22.1. However, Save America couldn’t hold off Covered Bridge (Jordan Stratton), who charged on the final turn and pulled away to win by three-and-three-quarter lengths in 1:50.4. Twin B Tuffenuff (Gilles Barrieau) closed strong from the back to take second, while Save America settled for third.

Covered Bridge secured his second consecutive Gold Cup and Saucer title for trainer Jeff Gillis and owner Mark Ford of New York, pushing his career win total to 51 and earnings beyond $1.46 million.

The eventful program also included a win by Sugar Bowl (Barrieau) in the $15,000 Birthplace Of Confederation Series, in memory of Doug Hill, with a time of 1:54.4 for trainer Ashley Gamester.

In the $21,300 Joe O'Brien Gold divisions for three-year-old pacing colts, Tobins Chester (Jason Hughes) extended his win streak to seven, clocking 1:53.1 for trainer Gamester, while Jack Boswall (Marc Campbell) captured the other division in 1:55.1 for trainer Keith MacDonnell.

The $7,500 Colonel Dan Open Trot saw New Legacy (Hughes) win in 1:58 for trainer Jennifer Doyle. The race took a dramatic turn when Jessiejesorjessica (David Dowling) broke stride at three-quarters, causing a spill that brought down stablemate Glider Man (Myles Heffernan Sr). Fortunately, both horses walked away uninjured, and the drivers were cleared by paramedics, with Heffernan continuing to drive while Dowling opted to sit out the rest of the card.

The $8,500 Premier’s Pace ended in a dead heat between American Risk (Stratton) and Blood Money (Barrieau), with both finishing in 1:53.

Trainers Gamester, Ron Matheson, and Tom Weatherbie each secured training doubles on the night. Live racing resumes Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Red Shores Summerside, with the full Saturday broadcast available below.