Old Home Week | 9 dashes Friday

B5

By BRUCE HALLIHAN
hallihan.bruce@dailygleaner.com

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A Woodstock Old Home Week tradition will continue Friday night with a nine-dash harness racing card at Connell Park Raceway.

Post time is 7:30 p.m.

Woodstock Driving Club president Andy Sutherland, who's been involved with the event for more than 25 years, was hoping to have two cards, but high gas prices forced him to reconsider.

"We were pretty concerned about that," Sutherland said, "both for shipping horses around the Maritimes and for people travelling as well."

That said, Sutherland still expects more than 1,000 fans to attend.

"This is the 99th year of harness racing here and Old Home Week racing is a traditional part of the fair," he said.

The card will be capped by the $15,000 McCain Memorial Invitational Pace, New Brunswick's richest invitational race of the season which will feature a four-horse field.

A fifth horse, Kuai Diam N, had to be scratched Tuesday evening because he had been racing at Rockingham Park in New Hampshire where cases of strangles have recently been diagnosed.

The Maritime Provinces Harness Racing Commission imposed a ban on all horses shipping in from Rockingham Park that had been at that track on or after June 1.

Dance Hanover, with Todd Trites in the sulky, 2-1 favourite Outlawpositivecharg (Mike MacDonald), defending champion Banner Yankee (Carl Jamieson) and 2008 Walter Dale Memorial winner Astronomical (Dr. Ian Moore) will vie for the big purse.

Jamieson, who's based in Princeton, Ont., planned the stop at Woodstock as a tuneup for the Gold Cup and Saucer series at Charlottetown Driving Park.

"Carl Jamieson has roots in our area, Nova Scotia, and he's a North American-calibre horseman," Sutherland said. "He's done very well and he's very well thought of in the industry.

"Astronomical is one of the most charismatic horses ever to race in the Maritimes. He's a big horse and he certainly has a lot of fans."

Outlawpositivcharg won the Governor's Plate and Nova Scotia Provincial Exhibition Cup for Terry Gallant and owner Fred Lamont of Calgary.

"Outlawpositivcharg has been a pleasant surprise this year in the Maritimes and, again, Terry Gallant is a good solid horseman," Sutherland said.

"Dance Hanover is certainly becoming quite a force in the province," he said, "A four-horse field isn't ideal and, unfortunately, it's the third consecutive year with it. It's become a real challenge to put it together but we're not alone in that respect.

"A couple of weeks ago in Bangor, five horses went for $25,000."

Kuai Diam N won his last race in 1:53 at Rockingham on Saturday.

Streptoccoccus equ - the scientific name for the bacterium which causes strangles - is a highly contagious infection that attacks a horse's respiratory tract and lymph nodes in its head, leading to fever and difficulty breathing. Horses must be quarantined for four to six weeks while infected. The disease is rarely fatal if treated.

"It's just a precautionary thing," Sutherland said, "but it can be fatal, so it's not to be fooled with."

Two other horses had to be scratched from the Woodstock program for the same reason: P H Catman from race two and Sjs Character from race five, the $2,500 Willard Kitchen Memorial Junior Invitational.

Sutherland took over as president after Kitchen died in 1999.

"Willard could keep you working and laughing all day," Sutherland said. "He was a great race fan and a fine president."

Fredericton Raceway will host a New Brunswick Day card Monday at 1 p.m. Atlantic Sires Stakes for two-year-old colts and fillies will highlight what's expected to be a 12-dash card.

Here's a look at Friday's card:

RACE ONE ($1,050)

1. Colour Me Gone (T. Trites) 2. Vs Sassie Titan (D. Cameron) 3. Mckenzie Kate (K. Cameron) 4. T T Lauren (M. Grant) 5. Doublejackseven (S. deCourcey) 6. Billienbud (C. Miles)

RACE TWO ($1,100)

2. Perfect Approach (P. Jones) 3. Pictonian Bestwest (P. Jones) 4. Bolero Kloupt (M. Grant) 5. Bobs Birthday (L. Stokes) 6. Bold Ryan (M. Haig).

RACE THREE ($1,000)

1. Putnams Jewel (T. Trites) 2. Remember Johnny (S. Hodgin) 3. Porthill Digger (R. Galbraith) 4. Miss Rachel (L. Stokes) 5. Donbryn Master (C. Miles) 6. Select Timber (P. Reid) 7. I X L (M. Grant).

RACE FOUR ($1,200)

1. Ryans Fancy (L. Stokes) 2. Georgie Girl (D. Dickison) 3. Rapid Cane (T. Trites) 4. All Star Dragon (P. Reid) 5. Impish Art (G. Wright) 6. Front Running N (R. Armstrong) 7. Hurricane Island (S. deCourcey).

RACE FIVE ($2,500)

Willard Kitchen Memorial

Junior Invitational

2. Dusty Lane Ely (L. Stokes) 3. Features Kwik (Dr. I. Moore) 4. Jarwa (T. Trites) 5. Man Shes Fine (R. Hume) 6. Plea Bargain (G. Barrieau) 7. L M Xkr (C. Price) 8. Woodmere Quickpeek (S. Hodgin).

RACE SIX ($1,050)

1. Cushla Macree (T. Trites) 2. Arcane Agent (L. Stokes) 3. Putnams Pride (T. Scott) 4. Jacob (G. Leger) 5. Ed Edd And Eddy (C. Bustard) 6. My Buddy Mark (S. Hodgin) 7. Longworth Legacy (G. Barrieau) 8. Quality Of Money (O. Davies).

RACE SEVEN ($1,100)

1. Spudland Tyler (M. Grant) 2. Lucky Alberta (L. Stokes) 3. Breeze Hanover (P. Reid) 4. Island Power (T. Trites) 5. Wicked Time (P. Sowers) 6. Fern Hill Treasure (G. Wright).

RACE EIGHT ($1,500)

1. Nicoles Baby (L. Stokes) 2. Birdton Bert (T. Trites) 3. Pitbull Hanover (R. MacNeil) 4. Highjinx Benka (M. Grant) 5. Mr Varbo (W. Hubbard) 6. Magnetic Benka (G. Barrieau) 7. Doctor Decimeter (L. Stokes).

RACE NINE ($15,000)

McCain Memorial Invitational

1. Dance Hanover (T. Trites) 3. Outlawpositivecharg (T. Gallant) 4. Banner Yankee (C. Jamieson) 5. Astronomical (Dr. I. Moore).