By Nicholas Oakes For Red Shores<\/p>\n
CHARLOTTETOWN, PE \u2013 The Sports Desk etched his name as the final winner of 2024 on a special New Year\u2019s Eve program at Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park.<\/p>\n
Driver Gilles Barrieau steered the three-year-old son of Sportswriter to a 1:59.2 win at 5-1 betting odds for trainer Ron Matheson and owners Joseph Dahl and Jack Keenan in the race 14 finale.<\/p>\n
Barrieau tripled up on the evening winning with Miramichi Alanna (2:01) at 3-1 odds for trainer Jeff Holmes and Here Comes Emmett in the New Year\u2019s Eve Pace in 2:00.4 at 2-1 odds for trainer Melvin Gamester.<\/p>\n
Bee Two Bee was a 4-5 winner in the $4,600 Preferred Pace with Jason Hughes driving for trainer Ashley Gamester and owners Donald MacRae and Blair MacLauchlan in a 1:55.3 clocking. Hughes, Gamester and MacRae also captured the $3,650 top trot of the evening with Fight Song (1:59.4) at 2-5 odds for the Kadabra five-year-olds third straight.<\/p>\n
Hughes also won with Czarspieceofheaven (2:02.4) for the driving triple at 12-1 odds for trainer Todd Weatherbee.<\/p>\n
Marc Campbell won his 15th straight driving title in Charlottetown with 171 wins ahead of David Dowling at 129 winners. Campbell\u2019s pursuit of the first ever Atlantic Canadian million-dollar season fell $1,298 short as he finished the year at $998,702 in prize money eclipsing Corey MacPherson\u2019s former record of $781,573 set in 2023.<\/p>\n
Elm Grove Mistress (2:01.4) won her eighth-in-a-row at 2-5 odds for driver Dowling to give trainer Jennifer Doyle 113 wins on P.E.I., in 2024, putting her in a tie for the all-time record with Marc Campbell. Doyle also set the record for most wins ever solely at Red Shores Charlottetown as she won her second-straight training title with 97 victories. Matheson was second with 64 wins.<\/p>\n