-by Bill Dunphy
Three-year-old pacing colt Captain Tate extended his win streak to seven while competing against older rivals in the winners-over class at Inverness Raceway on Sunday.
Facing five foes at least three years older, Captain Tate cruised wire-to-wire in the $2,000 featured finale for the 1:59.3 victory.
With driver-trainer Walter Walker on the reins, he established the lead from post four and set fractions of :31, 1:01.2 and 1:31.2 before building up an insurmountable five-length lead to hold off his competitors in the sprint to the finish.
Pocket-chaser Crime Boss (Greg Munro) finished a length behind in second and Hippyjohn (Carey Romeo) followed in third after a first-up Talk Some Smack (Keigan Madden) leveled off.
After going winless in five freshman starts, the Captain Crunch-Ginger Tree Nina colt has found his groove for Walker and owner James MacInnis.
From 16 sophomore starts this year, Captain Tate now boasts a dozen wins – a total only eight other horses in North America have topped in 2026.
Captain Tate, who won the winners-over on Aug. 12 before a pair of victories during Old Home Week on Prince Edward Island, paid $2.80 to win in his Inverness return as the 2-5 bettors’ choice.
Walker, who has been a force this season with more drives and predominantly with his trainees, was a double winner on Sunday, including a win in race seven.
Leaving post two with J.J. MacDonald’s three-year-old colt Drink Up Mouchacho, Walker took the front and went wire-to-wire for a new lifetime mark of 1:58.2.
Keigan Madden also enjoyed a good day at the track, putting up a driving double of his own.
With D.F. Beaton’s driver Rodney Gillis in Summerside with their two-year-old colt Victor, Madden made the most of his catch drive with Beaton’s Shir Gain, winning race six in wire-to-wire fashion in 1:58.3.
And in race eight, Madden made it two in a row aboard five-year-old mare Stay Pumped. Owned by Michael Gillis and trained by Ethan MacLean, Madden took an overland route alongside pacesetter Mcseashore (Greg Munro) to the stretch and finished with a :28.1 last quarter for the win in 1:59.
Speaking of Summerside, Monica Sutherland had a huge day on the island, winning the $13,880 Joe O’Brien Memorial for two-year-old pacing colts.
Coming off a maiden mark of 2:01.1 set at Inverness Raceway on Aug. 5, Irish Rover came back from fourth at the quarter to win in 2:01. Sutherland also owns and trains the scion of Somewhere Fancy and the Bettors Delight mare Frenzie.
In the second $13,880 O’Brien pace for two-year-old colts, Sydney owner and Inverness Raceway regular Kevin Bailey watched as Marc Campbell drove his colt Wilson Cassidy to the win in 1:58.3.
Victor and Rodney Gillis came back from parked fifth at the three-quarter pole to pick up second-place money in a 2:00.1 finish.
The other Hawthorne Gillis, Danny, was also at Summerside where John Stephen, a two-year-colt that he shares ownership with Beverley McIsaac, finished fifth in a third $13,880 purse.
Following the cancellation of the Wednesday, Aug. 26, card due to a power outage, a make-up date for the final night under the lights has been confirmed for tonight, Sept. 2, with post time at 7 p.m. Live harness racing at Inverness Raceway continues on Sunday at 1 p.m.