A set of $5,000 eliminations for this year’s Governor’s Plate were contested Sunday afternoon at Summerside Raceway, with YS Lotus and Midnight Play knocking off the favourites in their respective tilts.

 

YS Lotus was dealt the toughest post in his elimination, but he overcame Post 7 by firing to the front – and once he got there he couldn’t be caught. Marc Campbell had him hung out at the quarter in :27.2 before muscling to the lead. He led by a pair of lengths through middle splits of :55 and 1:24 and then used a :29.4 kicker to fend off D Gs Camme by a nose in 1:53.4. Jeb and Junebugs Baby rounded out the top four finishers.

 

Rene Allard trains the five-year-old son of If I Can Dream-Bolero Takara for Yves Sarrazin of La Presentation, QC. The gelding won for the 13th time in his career while boosting his lifetime earnings to $158,469.

Midnight Play pulled off a 13-1 upset in the second elimination for the duo of driver Corey MacPherson and trainer Trevor Hicken. The gelding got away sixth before picking up cover going to the half. OK Galahad and Big Surf took turn on the lead through panels of :27.4, :56.1 and 1:26.1, but Midnight Play was starting to make noise when he tipped three-wide off cover. The four-year-old son of Shadow Play-Midnight Art kicked home in :29.1 to win by 2-1/2 lengths over heavily-favoured OK Galahad in 1:56.2. Big Surf and Warrawee Phoenix were third and fourth, respectively.

 

Aiden Hicken of Mt. Stewart, PE owns the three-time winner, who won for the first time in 20 starts this season. He boasts a cash stash that now stands at $46,461.