The spotlight will be on two top pacers this Sunday at Hippodrome 3R as Half A Billion and HP Sissy are the respective favourites in their $30,000 Finals of the Quebec-Bred Series for four and five-year-olds.
Half A Billion heads the final for horses & geldings in Race 6, seeking a clean sweep of the series with his fourth straight win and sixth triumph of the year.
The five-year-old gelded son of Sportswriter sports the fastest mile by any horse so far at H3R this season. Two weeks ago, he won in a romp by six and one-half lengths in 1:53.1 for H3R’s leading driver, Louis-Philippe Roy, who is back in the sulky Sunday with Half A Billion from Post 5.
Trained by Francis Richard, Half A Billion is co-owned by Michael & Francois Letarte, Jean Allaire and Corey Giles.
"The horse is in a great shape," said trainer Francis Richard, "and he seems to be even better when you spell him a week, like this year. A race is a race and he is facing some formidable opponents, but he has had the pressure to do well as the favourite before and I will do my best to get him ready on Sunday."
In their last match-up, rival Sports Authority (Pierre-Luc Roy, older brother of LPR), was second to Half A Billion, his best effort so far this year in four starts. He starts from Post 3.
The entry of full brothers Mr Match On Beach (Post 4) and Mach On The Beach (Post 6) loom tough competition, as well as 13-time winner and 2016 series champion HP Patriote (Post 2), for trainer-driver Gerard Demers. Also not to be ignored is Sugarsam (Post 1), who was the Quebec Series Champion back in 2015.
The mares do battle in the ninth race where HP Sissy seeks to make it a clean sweep in her division. She starts from Post 4 and will be driven again by Louis-Philippe Roy.
Her last start two weeks ago was her best of the 2017 season, moving to the lead for Roy after the opening quarter mile and then holding the field at bay, winning in 1:54.4. The four-year-old daughter of Up The Credit is trained by Jean Tourigny for breeder Claude Hamel, who co-owns her with Michel Damphousse. They race as part of an entry with HP Pandora (Post 5), who is also bred and owned by Hamel.
Hoping for the upset win will be five-year-old mare Wanda Bayama, who is bred, owned, trained and driven by Bayama Farms' Hall of Famer, Yves Filion. She starts from Post 3. Another Quebec-Bred Series Champion, Miss Babe Delight, starts from Post 7 but has yet to get on track in 2017, winless in 14 starts.
First race post time is 12:30 p.m. To view entries, click the following link: Sunday Entries - Hippodrome 3R.
(With files from the Quebec Jockey Club)