The feature races during Hippodrome 3R’s Sunday, April 30 program of live racing were both captured by front-end performers, as Rocky Boy won the $8,000 Preferred 1 Trot and Glass Shadow triumphed in the $8,400 Preferred 1 Pace after gate-to-wire miles.

After having lined up in Post 4 for Race 7, Rocky Boy ($12.90) went to the lead early and didn’t look back. Marc Belanger guided the Stephane Beaudoin trainee to the top off the wings and the race was over from there. While racing over a track labelled ‘fast,’ the eight-year-old Rocky Balboa gelding cut the fractions in :27.4, :56.4 and 1:26.1. He led by one length at the quarter, more than four lengths at the half-mile pole, and more than six and a half lengths at the head of the lane. Rocky Boy sealed the deal with a :30.4 final quarter and posted a six and three-quarter-length margin of victory in 1:57. Torches Angel (driven by Pierre Luc Roy) finished second, while Lindy Ghirardelli (Richard Simard) finished third.

Owned by Marc Belanger and Stephane Beaudoin – both of Trois-Rivieres, QC – Rocky Boy recorded his first victory of the year via the score, which was the 25th of his 130-race career. The bay has now banked more than $156,000 in career purses.

During the next dash (Race 8), Glass Shadow ($6.00) left from Post 3 and made every pole a winning one, en route to a 1:55 win for trainer Marc Andre Cormier and pilot Richard Simard. The six-year-old Shadow Play gelding cut the fractions in :27.2, :57 and 1:25.4. He closed in :29.1 and nailed the wire a quarter length the best. Pantheon Seelster, who was driven by Stephane Brosseau and finished second, was in close pursuit for the duration of the mile. Onyx V A, who was driven by Marie Claude Auger, finished third, more than four lengths in arrears of Glass Shadow.

Owned by Marc Andre Cormier of Princeville, QC, Glass Shadow won his third race of the season via the score and has now reached the winner’s circle after 17 of his 94 career races.

To view the harness racing results for the Sunday card at Hippodrome 3R, click the following link: Sunday Results – Hippodrome 3R.

The Quebec Jockey Club has reported that, a day earlier, a total of 49 horses went postward during the Saturday’s qualifying session at the track, including three former Quebec-bred series champions: 2014 three-year-old pacing filly champ Chaleurs Fantasy, 2016 four-year-old trotting mare winner SOS Revange, and last year’s three-year-old colt and gelding trot victor (and track record holder) Holiday Party. Thirty-six of Saturday’s contestants qualified, promising that there should soon be 10 races on the Sunday’s 3R pari-mutuel card. To view the results, click here.