The 56th edition of the Governor’s Plate, presented by Summerside Chrysler Dodge, saw Twin B Tuffenuff and driver Gilles Barrieau secure victory with a second-over trip on Saturday, July 20, at Red Shores at the Summerside Raceway.
In the $35,000 Invitational event, Bee Two Bee (driven by Jason Hughes) set the early pace with splits of :27 and :56.1. Elimination winner Rollwithhottytoddy (Myles Heffernan Sr.) took the first-over route, while Twin B Tuffenuff followed second-over, reaching three-quarters in 1:24.4. In the stretch drive, Rollwithhottytoddy briefly took the lead before Twin B Tuffenuff surged off the cover to win by one length in 1:53.4. Rollwithhottytoddy finished second, with Fern Hill General (Brodie MacPhee) taking third.
Ron Matheson trains Twin B Tuffenuff, a nine-year-old gelding by Rock N Roll Heaven out of In The Pink, for owner Pat Morris of Charlottetown, P.E.I. Barrieau also won the Basil Whelan Memorial trophy for the top driver of Governor’s Plate Week, part of his four-win performance.
In the $12,500 Bob Dewar Memorial Governor’s Plate Consolation, Saulsbrook Ian weaved through traffic to win in 1:54.2 for driver Corey MacPherson and trainer Jamie Smith. The $7,500 Ruby Chappell Memorial Open Mares final saw Tobins Brownie pull off an upset victory at 15-1 odds, clocking in at 1:55 for trainer/driver David Dowling. The $5,000 consolation for the Open Mares went to Share The Moment, trained by Bo Ford and driven by Barrieau, in 1:55.1.
In the lone $29,200 Atlantic Sires Stakes 'A' division for three-year-old pacing colts, Tobins Chester (driven by Hughes) won in 1:54.4, ending the undefeated season of second-place finisher Merigo Magic (Adam Merner). The Shanghai Phil-Putnam MacKenzie gelding extended his win streak to four for trainer Ashley Gamester and owner Don MacRae of Vernon Bridge, P.E.I.
Four $6,000 Atlantic Sires Stakes 'B' divisions for three-year-old pacing colts were won by:
- Check Your Chip (trainer/driver Myles Heffernan) in 1:57.2
- Little Leroy (driven by MacPherson, trained by Joseph Baxter) in 1:56.2
- Tobins Barn Party (trained by Gamester, driven by Hughes) in 1:59
- Jack Boswall (driven by Marc Campbell, trained by Keith MacDonell) in 1:56.
First Glance (driven by Dowling) won a $3,800 Preferred 2 Pace on the undercard in 1:54 for the Jennifer Doyle stable. Trainers Ashley Gamester and Jeff Holmes each scored training triples on the 16-race program, while Hughes drove three winners.
Live harness racing continues on Monday evening at 6 p.m. at Red Shores Summerside.