from Standardbred Canada

Mississauga, ON — The connections of Take It Back Terry had to wait a day to see their Western Terror gelding triumph in the 56th edition of the Sobeys Gold Cup & Saucer, but the delay made the 6-year-old’s victory in the revered event all the more sweeter.

The stage for Red Shores’ signature event was all set to go on Saturday (Aug. 22) at the Charlottetown Driving Park on Prince Edward Island. The track was able to race the undercard of the Gold Cup & Saucer program, but a serious thunderstorm struck as the horses were parading under the spotlights, causing track officials to postpone the $45,600 final until Sunday (Aug. 23) at 3 p.m. due to unsafe track conditions.

The field reassembled Sunday afternoon at the CDP, and so did a strong crowd, which made its way back to the cherished oval to see the field of eight lay it all on the line.

Take It Back Terry, who was one of two combatants racing from the stable of renowned trainer Ron Burke, showed that his Trial No. 2 victory was anything but a fluke.

Island native Marc Campbell steered Take It Back Terry into post five, and as the wings of the starting gate folded, he was one of four horses that had left hard for a shot at front-end positioning.

Lucan Hanover (driven by Jonathan Drury), Sparky Mark (Travis Cullen) and The Rev (Danny Romo) were the others in the field that also wanted the lead early. Campbell and Take It Back Terry had left right with them, but were just a step off the tempo as the field raced around the first turn.

It didn’t take long for Campbell and Take It Back Terry to get right up to the lead.

Campbell and Take It Back Terry passed their early rivals and settled right down on the front end. The bay was live on the front and repelled a bid from fellow Trial winner Crombie A in the middle half of the affair. After having sparred with Take It Back Terry, Crombie A backed through the outside flow and eventually finished seventh.

Take It Back Terry had no intention of giving up on the engine when fellow Burke pupil Atta Boy Dan (Anthony MacDonald) came calling with a tremendous closing effort from the backfield. MacDonald and Atta Boy Dan had a full head of steam behind them when they closed wide with a flurry, but Campbell and Take It Back Terry held them off by a quarter-length at the wire.

Take It Back Terry’s win time was 1:50.4, the same clocking that he had put in during his Trial win, which had come six days earlier. The fractions for the final were cut in :27.2, :55.1 and 1:23.1.

Take It Back Terry’s 1:50.4 performance in the final of the Gold Cup & Saucer updated the Canadian and track record books, yet again. Courtesy of his 1:50.4 mile in his Gold Cup & Saucer Trial, Take It Back Terry had added his name to the Canadian race record list in the following categories: all-age pacing gelding on a half-mile track; older pacing gelding on a half-mile track. He had also added his name to the Charlottetown Driving Park track record books for the following category: older pacing gelding.

Since Take It Back Terry raced back to that 1:50.4 clocking again in the Gold Cup & Saucer final, his name was etched back onto the aforementioned record categories yet again.

“He raced great for me in the Trial and he was even better for me today,” Campbell said from the winner’s circle.

Campbell went on to state that the quality of the field did not allow him to approach the Gold Cup & Saucer final with a hard and firm game plan.

“I looked over and the other horses weren’t really on the gate, and he was on the gate and (was) feeling really well, so I said ‘let’s go out for a while.’”

Campbell’s spur of the moment strategy paid off in full for Take It Back Terry’s backers, who saw the veteran pacer return $7.50 on a successful $2 win wager. He also paid $4.30 to place and $2.50 to show. Take It Back Terry topped a $26.40 (5-6) exactor with Atta Boy Dan ($5.30, $4.50). Lucan Hanover ($4.80), who worked out a ground-saving trip, finished third and bottomed out the $282.80 (5-6-2) triactor.

Trainer Ron Burke (who is part of the Burke Racing Stable LLC) co-owns Take It Back Terry along with Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Phillip Collura and Lawrence Karr.

“It’s usually not his style, either (racing on the lead), but he swelled right up on the front (during his) last two starts,” Take It Back Terry’s assistant trainer, Shannon Murphy, said from the winner’s circle afterward.

Murphy was clearly feeling the power of the moment in the winner’s circle. When asked about how special an honor it is for a Maritimer to be part of a Gold Cup & Saucer winner, Murphy said, “It really is. This is home for me.”