by Diane Daniels, for Truro Raceway

Truro, NS — The management and staff, together with the horsemen and women of Truro Raceway, are gearing up for the 24th annual Atlantic Grand Circuit Week, featuring four cards of exciting and fast paced harness racing action.

Throughout the week, race fans will not only be privy to the Maritime’s best two and three-year-old pacing and trotting stars, the keenest of owners, drivers, and trainers that Atlantic Canada has to offer, but also top notch invitational horse power as challengers take to the track in the 18th running of the Nova Scotia Provincial Exhibition Cup, being featured on Saturday, July 30.

Two of Atlantic Canada’s top class speed Standardbreds call the Truro Raceway their hometown track. Dunachton Gale, owned by connections David Mitchell, David Fillmore, and Jason Mullen of Weymouth, out of the Phil Pinkney Stable, and the powerful son of Drop-Off, Mr Domi, conditioned out of the Danny Romo camp for owner Wayne Hill of Fredericton, both competed in the 2005 Governors Plate held in Summerside last week.

Seizing the coveted “Plate” was yet another Truro affiliate, the three-year-old Jenna’s Beach Boy gelding P H Breakaway, stepping to a 1:56.2 mile for owner Dr. James Shive of Shubenacadie. Mr Domi was broke, trained, and campaigned both in the Maritimes as well as the Ontario Circuit by his previous owner, Calvin Isenor of Truro.

Last year’s victor of the Exhibition Cup, Truro’s most prestigious event, was Chief Happysak, owned by Small Portions Stable and trained by Leo MacLeod of Port Hood with Truro native Darren Crowe at the controls.

Sunday, July 24, the debut program of AGCW, showcases the cream of the crop with the two-year-old pacing colts vying for honours in the Atlantic Sires Stakes. With approximately 350 colts eligible for this series, competition will be intense among these rookie campaigners in both the “A” and “B” divisions.

Visiting entries will truck in from both Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick and will probably include Island Andrew for Orville Willis, Phillip Doucette’s Island Colin, and Clay Henry for Hopedale Holdings, all out of PEI.

David Lund’s Woodmere Home Brew, driven by Gilles Barrieau, and the Lisryan colt Elm Grove Action, for Robert Macneil, are both possibles to be in the New Brunswick line up.

Declarations of two-year-old pacers hailing the home front will no doubt consist of Hardcore, a son of Lisryan and a recent winner in the “A” Division in Summerside for David Coles of Halifax and trainer Ken St. John.

Dr. James Shive’s P H Super Dave, fresh of a 2:00.4 win in Summerside, as well as Super Sidney C, for Morah Kerr and Clare MacDonald, are also eligible contenders.

Morning line favorites will also most likely include Flashy Boy for George Anderson and Perry Ivany out of Blair Laffin’s stable and Duncan’s Gillis’ A J Arrow, who finished one and two respectively in a division of the two-year-old stakes held in Summerside during Lobster Carnival celebrations.

Confimed entry in the box is the Rayson Hanover off spring Rileys Pride, for Carl R. Jamieson of Ontario and co-owner/trainer Steve Morton of Windsor.

Post time for Sunday, July 24 is set for 1:00 p.m. with opening ceremonies to commence at approximately 12:00 p.m. and qualifiers to hit the track at 11:30 a.m.

Looking ahead to Tuesday on the calendar of events, the two-year-old pacing fillies will assemble for the Atlantic Sires Stakes and drivers in the Neil “Chops” Campbell Memorial Young Guns Driving Challenge, open to teamsters 18 to 25, will don their colors for the third annual contest. Post time for Tuesday is slated for 4:30 p.m.

The fastest aged mares in Atlantic Canada gathered at Truro last Sunday to compete in three divisions of the initial leg of the Robert Bank Memorial Pace at the Truro Raceway.

Kickin In, the six-year-old daughter of Nobeland Sam, teamed up with owner/driver Hilliard Graves of Dartmouth to take advantage of the rail post position to notch the quickest trip of the Robert Banks Memorial. The pair bolted off of the gate with a :27.2 quarter, taking control of the pace and covering the ground in 1:57.1 in wire-to-wire fashion.

Fan favorite La Sorciere, sired by Largo, found her second wind through the stretch to bottom out her rivals in an aggressive drive to the finish, pacing in 1:58.1 to capture a division of the Robert Banks with Clare MacDonald at the helm for owner Roy Burton of Truro.

Maintaining her momentum through the summer meet, MacDonald had another career making day, posting three wins on Sunday’s card of live racing. Ima Rainlady Too earned a new speed badge in the sixth for owner/trainer Janice Toole of Truro in line to MacDonald, and in race 12 MacDonald picked up her third with a catch drive on Neal Moase’s Tarski.

The third class of the Robert Banks went to the seven-year-old Cambest mare Comical Brilla, off of a coast-to-coast trip, demonstrating early speed and late stamina, pacing in 1:58.2 for pilot Gilles Barrieau for Robert Tilley and Lester Mott of Saint John.

Inverness will be the host track for the second leg of this impressive and highly competitive event on Wednesday, July 27.