Gold Cup and Saucer goes tonight

CHARLOTTETOWN - Ontario invader Mach It Paid has drawn the rail for the 49th running of the $60,000 Sobeys Gold Cup and Saucer race tonight at the Charlottetown Driving Park Entertainment Centre.

The field for the race increased to nine starters when the two horses -- St. Pete Star and Mighty And Strong -- that finished in a dead-heat for fourth-place in Monday's Trial 2 were both declared in to start in the Maritimes' most prestigious harness race.

The top four finishers from the two trials usually advance to the final.

The draw for post positions for the final was made during Tuesday's Old Home Week card.

Mach It Paid, a four-year-old Mach Three gelding owned by Isaac Waxman of Dundas, Ont., finished in third place Monday for driver Jean Rene Plante after being parked out for most of the mile from Post 7.

The second horse to be drawn was Trial 1 winner Banner Yankee, who drew the trailing Post 9 for owner/driver Carl Jamieson of Princeton, Ont. Banner Yankee won the Gold Cup and Saucer in 2006 and was runner-up a year ago.

Country Estate, who set a record trip of 1:52.4 for Maritime-bred pacers on a half-mile Maritime track when he left from Post 6 in Trial 2, drew Post 6 in the final. Charlottetown native Paul MacKenzie will drive Country Estate for owner Wes Patriquin of Debert, N.S. Country Estate is trained by Moncton native Jean-Louis Arsenault, who trained last year's Gold Cup and Saucer winner, Silent Swing.

The rest of the field includes St. Pete Star (Danny Romo) at Post 2, Match Bayama (John MacDonald) at Post 3, Mighty And Strong (Dieppe native Gilles Barrieau) at Post 4, Outlawpositivcharg (Terry Gallant) at Post 5, Marymatt Hanover (Robert Shepherd) at Post 7 and Pownal Bay Matt (Earl Smith) at Post 8.

Marymatt Hanover finished fourth in last year's final.

When St. Pete Star and Mighty And Strong hit the wire together to dead-heat for the fourth spot in Trial 2, it send officials checking the stakes conditions to see how to handle the situation. They ruled that both horses could start.

It will mark the second time in the history of the Maritimes' most prestigious race that there have been nine starters.

The last time there were nine starters was back in 1995 when Sandy Hanover (Michael MacDonald) pulled off the biggest upset in the history of the event.

At that time, only seven starters were on the gate.